The government will introduce legislation to support its newly announced gun buyback scheme, but has not provided details on when it will be introduced or when the scheme will begin.
“The government is proposing that states and territories will be responsible for the collection, processing and payment to individuals for surrendered firearms. The Australian Federal Police will then be responsible for the destruction of these firearms,” Albanese said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announcing the buyback scheme on Friday.Credit: Nine News
“The national gun buyback scheme is on top of the work that was agreed by national cabinet on Monday, limiting the number of firearms to be held by any one individual, limiting open-ended firearms licensing and the types of guns that are legal, making Australian citizenship a condition of holding a firearm licence, accelerating work on standing up the National Firearms Register and allowing the additional use of criminal intelligence to underpin firearms licensing,” he said.
Albanese said there were four million firearms in Australia, more than in 1996 when some of the world’s strongest gun regulations were put in place.