New South Wales Announces Gun Buyback Scheme After Bondi Junction Attack
The Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) has declared a new gun buyback scheme, allowing firearm owners to surrender their weapons for compensation. This announcement comes in the wake of the Bondi Junction knife attack in April, which resulted in six fatalities and multiple injuries. Despite the attack being carried out with a knife, NSW Premier Chris Minns stated that the incident highlighted a broader need to address gun proliferation, noting that the attacker had previously applied for a permit to purchase a firearm.
The buyback programme, scheduled to commence in August, will allocate an initial AUD#1.2 million (£630,000) for the acquisition of firearms. This funding is expected to cover approximately 700 guns, with the scheme running for six months. Eligible firearms include those that have been prohibited or had their classifications changed since the previous national gun amnesty in 2021.
Australia has some of the world's most stringent gun laws, largely implemented after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, where 35 people were killed. That event led to a substantial nationwide buyback and amnesty, which saw over 650,000 firearms removed from circulation. Premier Minns emphasised that the new NSW initiative is a continuation of Australia's long-standing commitment to reducing gun availability.
