After Bondi Beach massacre: Australia to buy back guns from citizens

New South Wales will launch a cash-for-guns program following the Bondi Beach attack. Gun owners can receive up to 1,000 Australian dollars per firearm. Prime Minister Albanese says the reform aims to ensure the antisemitic attack does not happen again.

Australia's most populous state, New South Wales, will launch a program later this year to buy back legally owned firearms from its citizens, becoming the first to offer cash in exchange for guns. The initiative aims to drastically reduce the number of privately owned weapons following the terrorist attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney. Gun owners will be able to receive up to 1,000 Australian dollars (about 2,000 shekels) for handing in pistols, shotguns, and rifles starting next month. State Premier Chris Minns said the move could lead to the surrender of hundreds of thousands of firearms. The reforms stipulate that private individuals can hold only four firearms, although farmers and sport shooters can hold up to ten. The program will be offered to those who have more weapons than allowed or whose licenses have lapsed, with license conditions shortened from five years to two. The program will be implemented in two phases: the first starting in early November, and the second in early next year, covering higher-value weapons worth over 3,000 Australian dollars. Businesses can receive up to 25,000 Australian dollars in support. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said everything possible must be done to ensure the antisemitic attack does not repeat. On December 14 last year, 15 people, including a 10-year-old girl and a Holocaust survivor, were killed during Hanukkah celebrations along the beach.