Eligible firearms licence holders in New South Wales can book appointments to surrender certain firearms and ammunition under the National Gun Buyback Scheme, with the first surrender appointments due to begin on Monday, 2 November. Bookings opened at midday on 26 October, and owners must use the official process rather than arrive at a police station without an appointment.
The Minns government announced the rollout as part of its firearms reforms following the Bondi Beach terrorist attack in December 2025. The scheme is intended to compensate eligible owners for firearms affected by reclassification or new ownership limits. The NSW Government estimates that about 18 per cent of licence holders may be eligible and that up to 274,000 firearms could be surrendered during the 12-month program.
The first six police stations scheduled to accept firearms from 2 November are Sutherland, Penrith, Narellan, Grafton, Griffith and Dubbo. A further 34 stations are due to join on Tuesday, 1 December, with another stage scheduled to begin on 18 January 2027. The staged rollout is intended to provide a managed process for receiving and securing firearms for destruction.
Licence holders should check their details and firearm records through the Gun Safe system, complete the buyback surrender application and follow the instructions issued with their case number. Walk-in surrenders will not be accepted. Eligibility depends on the firearm, the owner’s circumstances and the scheme rules, so owners should confirm the requirements before arranging a surrender.
Compensation in the first phase follows a fixed schedule for eligible firearms. The published rates include $1,000 for a revolver, $850 for a semi-automatic handgun, $850 for a double-barrel shotgun, $650 for a single-barrel shotgun, $600 for a rimfire rifle, $1,000 for a centrefire rifle and $450 for an air rifle. Eligible ammunition may attract a single $150 payment, subject to the scheme’s conditions, including the minimum quantity and requirement to surrender it with an eligible firearm.
The reforms also cap the number of firearms a licence holder may possess. Recreational hunting and vermin-control licence holders are generally limited to four firearms. A 10-firearm limit generally applies to licence holders whose genuine reason is sport or target shooting, vertebrate pest animal control, business or employment, primary production or animal welfare, although the rules differ between groups and specific exceptions apply.
The NSW Government has also outlined a draft proposal for limited and exceptional applications to hold more than 10 firearms. Under the proposal, only licence holders whose genuine reason is sport or target shooting, vertebrate pest animal control, or business or employment may be eligible to apply to the Police Commissioner. Applicants would need to explain the genuine need for each additional firearm. The proposal is not a blanket exemption, and the government says NSW Police will undertake targeted consultation on the regulation needed to establish the application process.
NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley has described the buyback as a major public safety undertaking. The government says the scheme is intended to reduce the number of firearms in circulation and help owners comply with the new limits and classification changes. New South Wales is the first state scheduled to participate in the Commonwealth’s National Gun Buyback Scheme, with the state and federal governments sharing costs under their agreement.
Details on eligibility, the application process, compensation and participating stations are available through the official NSW Government National Gun Buyback Scheme page and the NSW Police Firearms Registry website.
