A record number of firearms in Australia shows the country needs to tighten gun laws, the Albanese government says as parliamentarians consider its proposed sweeping reforms drafted in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.
Home Affairs data released ahead of parliament’s return on Monday shows registered firearms across the states and territories totalled 4,113,735, with 929,741 active licences.
NSW led the pack with 1,158,654, followed by Queensland at 1,143,895 and Victoria at 974,279.
With more firearms in Australia than at the time of the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his ministers have argued a gun buyback is needed to keep Australians safe.
“The deadly antisemitic terrorist attack at Bondi Beach is a national tragedy which can never be allowed to happen again,” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement.
“Our number one priority is keeping all Australians safe.
“That’s why we’re finishing the work of the Howard government and getting dangerous guns off our streets.
“We need to deal with the motivation and the method behind the Bondi attack. The why and the how.
“We’re dealing with both – by strengthening our gun laws and cracking down on hate speech.”
The proposed buyback has faced resistance from some states.
Under the scheme, the federal government would split the cost 50:50 with state and territory governments.
But Tasmania has warned it would cost the cash-strapped state $20m, while the Northern Territory’s chief minister, Lia Finocchiaro, has flatly rejected her state would partake.
Queensland has also been hesitant to back it.
Federally, the government’s efforts to crack down on firearm ownership generally has been met with fierce opposition from the Nationals, who say it would law-abiding gun-owners without addressing the root cause of the Bondi attack.
“We can’t support those gun laws,” leader David Littleproud told Seven’s Sunrise on Sunday.
“We don’t have a gun problem in this country – we have a radical Islamic ideological problem in this country that needs to be addressed.
“And we’ve known that for over two years when we saw that imam spew hate on the steps of the Sydney Opera House after innocent Israelis were slaughtered by an Islamic terrorist organisation.”
The Prime Minister has rejected claims that genuine gun owners would be punished, defending the proposed federal changes as “common sense”.
The buyback is part of a suite of reforms designed to limit the number of firearms individuals can hold, regulate open-ended firearms licensing, and restrict the types of guns that are legal.
The reforms would also make Australian citizenship a condition of holding a gun license and fast-track a national firearms register.
The Greens have agreed to back the legislation, giving the Albanese government a clear pathway through the Senate.