38,000 Guns Surrendered to the Government in Western Australia

Western Australians have given back 38,000 guns to authorities under the Labor government’s $64.3 million buyback program. The firearms were surrendered in return for up to $1,000 each ahead of the government’s strict new gun laws coming into force in March 2025. Gun ownership is already tightly regulated in Western Australia and across the country, requiring individuals to have a valid reason to own a gun, such as hunting, shooting, or primary production. More than 20.500 licence holders handed back their weapons under the buyback scheme, which ran over six months. “Over the duration of the six-month program, 3,195 handguns, 9,908 shotguns, and 25,339 rifles were surrendered with over half of the firearms purchased from licence holders in the metropolitan area. A further 449 guns were sold interstate,” the government said....