Following the Bondi Beach terrorist attack on December 14, 2025, which claimed 15 lives, Australian governments moved swiftly to introduce the nation's toughest gun law reforms in a generation. However, the changes have sparked significant opposition, particularly from regional communities and farming groups.

Two gunmen, a father and son allegedly inspired by Islamic State ideology, opened fire on a peaceful Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney. The attack was Australia's worst mass shooting since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996. The father, Sajid Akram, legally owned six firearms despite his son having previously appeared on an ASIO watch list.

The NSW Government passed the Terrorism and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 through parliament on December 23. The key changes include:

• Capping firearms ownership at four guns per person for recreational users
• Allowing up to 10 firearms for primary producers, pest controllers and competitive sports shooters
• Reducing firearms licence terms from five years to two years
• Reclassifying certain firearms including straight-pull and pump-action shotguns into more restricted categories
• Reducing magazine capacity for shotguns to between five and ten rounds
• Requiring all firearms licence holders to join a gun club, with exemptions available
• Restricting firearms licences to Australian citizens only, with exemptions for New Zealand permanent residents in certain roles
• Removing the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal review pathway for firearms licence decisions

Additionally, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a national gun buyback scheme, similar to the one implemented after Port Arthur, for newly restricted firearms.

The reforms have faced strong opposition from several groups for different reasons:

NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin said the 10-gun limit would be impractical for many farming operations. "We're now being told that farmers have to sign up to a gun club in order to keep their licence. What will this mean for farmers who live hours away from their closest gun club?" he said.

Farmers argue that those with properties spread across multiple locations need more firearms for pest control, livestock protection and animal welfare. The requirement to join gun clubs is seen as impractical for people living hours from the nearest facility.

Many critics, including NSW Nationals MPs and independent members, argue the laws target law-abiding gun owners rather than addressing the root cause of the attack.

Roy Butler, Member for Barwon, said the tragic events were "a terror attack fuelled by racism, radicalisation and extremism" and that Australia already has some of the toughest gun laws in the Western world. "We cannot conflate an act of terror with lawful firearms ownership," he said.

Jamie Chaffey, Member for Parkes, stated: "Any changes to our gun laws are merely Labor's attempt to divert attention or discussion from the reality of what is primarily antisemitism. It's not the guns, it's Islamic extremism in our suburbs."

Critics point to the fact that authorities knew about potential threats but failed to act. The father was able to obtain a firearms licence twice despite his son appearing on an ASIO watch list. Many argue the focus should be on fixing intelligence and security failures rather than restricting lawful gun ownership.

The bill combined three separate issues into one omnibus bill: firearms legislation, protest restrictions and hate speech provisions. Parliament was recalled just days before Christmas to pass the legislation, with critics arguing this didn't allow proper scrutiny of complex legal changes.

Independent MP Roy Butler asked for the bill to be separated so firearms aspects could be properly considered later, but his request was refused.

The bill also includes provisions allowing police to ban protests for up to three months following a terrorist incident. Civil liberties groups have condemned this as overreach and potentially unconstitutional.

The Liberal Party supported the legislation, but the National Party opposed it, causing a rare split in the Coalition. The Nationals said they would not support a bill that "uses gun reforms as a political tool rather than addressing the real issue of antisemitism."

The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party announced they would field candidates in every seat that supported the legislation, viewing it as a betrayal of responsible gun owners.

A Sydney Morning Herald poll found three-quarters of Australians support tougher gun laws. However, an e-petition against the changes garnered over 80,000 signatures in just two days, demonstrating significant opposition, particularly from regional areas.

The NSW legislation has passed both houses of parliament and is now law. The federal government is developing national reforms including the buyback scheme and new offences related to 3D-printed firearms.

A NSW royal commission into the Bondi massacre has been announced, while the federal government has launched a more limited review of intelligence and law enforcement agencies, due to report by April 2026.

The debate continues over whether these reforms will effectively prevent future attacks or simply punish the estimated one million law-abiding firearms owners across Australia while failing to address the underlying issues of terrorism, radicalisation and antisemitism.