The Member for Barwon, Roy Butler, has issued a scathing rebuke of the Minns Government’s latest firearm reforms, labelling the move a “betrayal” of regional NSW and a lazy response to urban security failures.

In Short

Regional Betrayal: Roy Butler labels the 2025 firearm reforms a "knee-jerk" reaction to the Bondi terror attack, arguing law-abiding owners are being unfairly scapegoated for intelligence failures.

Administrative Crisis: New laws slashing license durations from five years to two are predicted to cause a "train wreck" backlog within the NSW Firearms Registry.

Zero Consultation: The Independent MP claims the government bypassed industry experts and rural stakeholders to "bulldoze" the legislation through Parliament without an inquiry.

The Independent MP - a former executive of the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (SSAA) - has emerged as the primary political roadblock to the 2025 reforms, which were rushed through Parliament in the final sitting weeks of the year following the Bondi terror attack.

Butler’s central criticism is that the government is punishing the state’s 260,000 law-abiding firearm owners for an act of terrorism they had no part in.

“This is a classic case of a Sydney-centric government looking for a scapegoat,” Butler said during a heated debate in the Legislative Assembly.

He argued that the Bondi attack was a failure of radicalisation monitoring and intelligence, not a failure of the state’s existing, world-class firearm regulations.

“You don’t solve a terrorism problem by making life harder for a farmer in Brewarrina or a sport shooter in Broken Hill,” Butler stated.

The new laws include a controversial reduction in license durations, moving from a five-year term to just two years. Butler warns this will create a logistical "train wreck" for both owners and the NSW Police Force.

Butler claims the Firearms Registry is already struggling with backlogs. Doubling the frequency of renewals will "drown the system in red tape."

He remains a vocal critic of broad definitions regarding "firearm precursors," fearing that common tools in farm sheds could be used to criminalize innocent primary producers.

Butler fought unsuccessfully against the new limits on firearm ownership, arguing that the cap of 10 firearms for primary producers ignores the practical realities of pest management on large-scale properties.

Butler’s frustration also stems from what he calls a "total lack of consultation."

He noted that despite the massive impact on regional communities, the government bypassed the Firearms Consultative Council and refused to split the Bill to allow for a parliamentary inquiry.

“The government bulldozed this through before Christmas to get a headline,” Butler said.

“They didn’t talk to NSW Farmers, they didn’t talk to the industry, and they certainly didn't listen to the people of Barwon.”