In a decisive response to the Bondi beach terrorist attack, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has announced he will recall parliament next week to push through significant reforms to the state's firearm legislation.
Key Legislative Changes Proposed
The premier confirmed his government is urgently drafting legislation that will introduce a cap on the number of firearms a single licence holder can own. While Western Australia's limit of five guns was referenced, sources indicate a stricter limit of three firearms per licence holder is under serious consideration.
"I think a lot of Australians are asking the same question: 'How can this person have six guns?'" Minns stated. He emphasised that while stringent laws were enacted after the Port Arthur massacre, more must be done to ensure public safety.
The proposed bill will also seek to reclassify straight-pull shotguns and examine a prohibition on belt-fed magazines for such weapons. A central pillar of the reform is to bolster police authority to refuse a firearms licence based on security intelligence.
Closing Legal Loopholes and Reviewing Hunting
Minns outlined a critical change to the appeals process. Currently, when police revoke a licence from an individual deemed a threat, the decision can be appealed to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT), where police objections are sometimes overturned. The new law will remove NCAT as an appeal avenue once a licence removal designation is made based on intelligence.
In a move that signals a broader policy shift, the premier also revealed the government will review whether recreational hunting should remain a legitimate reason for gun ownership. "We are going to review that. But the best mechanism to handle it, we haven't worked out yet," he said, acknowledging ongoing discussions with stakeholder groups.
A Swift Reversal in Political Stance
This firm stance marks a significant pivot for Minns and the NSW Labor government. For much of 2023, the political momentum favoured relaxing gun laws, with Labor broadly supporting a private member's bill from Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party MLC Robert Borsak.
That bill, which included a legislative right to hunt and proposed a new Conservation Hunting Authority, had received initial support, including from Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty. As recently as June, the 2023-24 NSW budget allocated $7.9 million to the proposed authority.
However, after a concerted campaign by gun control advocates and a September meeting with Walter Mikac, whose children were killed at Port Arthur, Minns began to withdraw support. The tragic events at Bondi beach have now definitively ended the prospect of Borsak's bill becoming law.
Separately, the attack has prompted questions about police firepower, with NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon stating the force would review whether officers need greater firepower beyond handguns in light of the changed dynamic demonstrated last Sunday.
