What are Australia’s new gun laws is a fair question because things have moved on a bit from just “Port Arthur and the NFA”. Over the last few years, there has been a fresh push to tighten rules again, especially after high profile incidents and security scares.
Across Australia, the core idea is still the same: firearm ownership is a conditional privilege that sits behind strict licensing, genuine reason tests, and registration. What is changing is the detail. States like New South Wales and Western Australia are bringing in new limits on how many firearms a single person can legally own, tougher classification of certain shotguns and semi-automatics, and tighter controls on high-capacity or belt-fed magazines. In NSW, for example, new reforms cap most license holders at four firearms, with only primary producers allowed up to ten. Those reforms also make club membership mandatory, require the use of a central online system, and remove some appeal rights if police cancel a license on safety grounds. theguardian+2
These newer moves sit alongside long standing rules from the National Firearms Agreement, like universal registration, uniform licence categories, and bans on self loading rifles and pump shotguns for most people. Politically, Labor and the Greens talk up stronger national laws and crackdowns on illegal guns, while Coalition parties lean into responsible rural ownership and resisting extra red tape. There is also growing interest in better data sharing between state and federal registries and more focus on mental health and suitability checks as part of license vetting. nsw+2
What are Australia’s new gun laws?
What are Australia’s new gun laws is a fair question because things have moved on a bit from just “Port Arthur and the NFA”. Over the last few years there has been a fresh push to tighten rules again, especially after high profile incidents and security scares.wikipedia+2
Across Australia, the core idea is still the same: firearm ownership is a conditional privilege that sits behind strict licensing, genuine reason tests, and registration. What is changing is the detail. States like New South Wales and Western Australia are bringing in new limits on how many firearms a single person can legally own, tougher classification of certain shotguns and semi-automatics, and tighter controls on high capacity or belt-fed magazines. In NSW, for example, new reforms cap most license holders at four firearms, with only primary producers allowed up to ten. Those reforms also make club membership mandatory, require the use of a central online system, and remove some appeal rights if police cancel a license on safety grounds. theguardian+2
These newer moves sit alongside long standing rules from the National Firearms Agreement, like universal registration, uniform licence categories, and bans on self loading rifles and pump shotguns for most people. Politically, Labor and the Greens talk up stronger national laws and crackdowns on illegal guns, while Coalition parties lean into responsible rural ownership and resisting extra red tape. There is also growing interest in better data sharing between state and federal registries and more focus on mental health and suitability checks as part of licence vetting. nsw+2