In the wake of the Bondi Beach terror shooting on 14 December 2025, when 15 people were killed and many more injured during a Hanukkah celebration, a renewed and deeply polarising debate over gun ownership has erupted across New South Wales (NSW) and the rest of Australia. Among the most contentious proposals: demands from gun-safety advocates, independents and Greens for the NSW government to remove recreational hunting as a legitimate reason for owning firearms — a move supporters say would sharply reduce the number of guns in circulation and curb future risk.
The Proposal: Rethinking Firearm Licence Grounds
Under current NSW gun laws, applicants must demonstrate a “genuine reason” to own a firearm — such as hunting, primary production, target shooting or occupational use — before a licence is granted. One category frequently used is recreational hunting, which allows individuals to access guns primarily to pursue game as a leisure activity. Advocates for reform now argue this category should be removed entirely.
Critics say recreational hunting licenses are too broad, ambiguous and offer no clear public safety benefit compared with licences held for work or pest control. Ending this exemption, they argue, would ensure that only those with critical, occupational or controlled sporting needs retain access to firearms, thereby tightening oversight and reducing the sheer number of guns in private hands.
Rising Political Pressure in NSW Parliament
The push for this change has crystallised around a 12-point gun law reform package proposed in NSW in direct response to the Bondi massacre. Key elements include stricter storage rules, limits on the number of guns any one individual can hold, enhanced checks for people with domestic violence flags, and broader powers for police to intervene before firearms are accessed.
Removing recreational hunting as a reason for ownership is one of the more dramatic suggestions in the package. Backers of the measure argue that Australia’s gun population has quietly grown over decades, with more than 1.1 million registered firearms in NSW alone, many under licences justified by hunting.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has publicly pledged a suite of gun law reforms — describing them as potentially the toughest in Australia — and has confirmed plans to bring legislation forward when the state parliament reconvenes next week amid intense pressure for immediate action.
Why This Matters: A Shooter’s Legal Access
The Bondi attack has thrown into stark relief one of the worst fears of Australia’s gun safety advocates: that a licensed firearm owner was able to use legally held guns in an act of mass violence. Police confirmed that one of the shooters, Sajid Akram, held a recreational hunting licence and legally owned six firearms, including at least one powerful long-arm weapon used in the massacre.
For many reformers, the fact that such access was possible underlines perceived weaknesses in the licence system. Ending recreational hunting as a basis for gun ownership would tighten entry criteria — forcing licences to be tied only to clearly defined social, occupational or safety-related roles.
Support From Gun Safety and Public Health Advocates
Gun control organisations like Gun Control Australia and safety campaigners argue the Bondi massacre demonstrates why the nation needs to revisit some of the assumptions underpinning firearm law since the Port Arthur reforms of 1996 — which dramatically tightened gun ownership after that massacre. Despite those reforms, civilian gun numbers have grown, and some critics say loopholes like recreational hunting have eroded the original legislative intent.
Roland Browne, vice-president of Gun Control Australia, has publicly argued that recreational hunting licences are a “grey area” that no longer fits modern public safety objectives and that Australia should move to treat guns as tightly controlled tools, not leisure accessories. He also suggests reviewing the minimum age for gun use and tightening surveillance and licensing review processes.
Political and Cultural Pushback
Removing recreational hunting as a licence ground is not universally accepted. Critics — including some politicians and representatives of rural and shooting communities — stress that hunting has long been part of Australian life for pest control and wildlife management, as well as sport. They caution that rapid reform risks unfairly penalising law-abiding citizens and rural residents who use guns responsibly.
The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, historically influential in NSW debate over gun laws, argues that responsible recreation and rural access should remain legitimate reasons for owning firearms. Opponents of broad reform contend guns are not the root cause of terror attacks and that better intelligence, policing and community safety frameworks — rather than restricting lawful owners — should be the priority.
National Context: Beyond NSW Borders
While NSW is at the forefront of the legislative fight, debates sparked by the Bondi massacre are resonating nationally. Observers note that Australia’s overall gun ownership has climbed since the Port Arthur era, and the national cabinet — consisting of federal and state leaders — has agreed that “strong, decisive and focused action” on gun laws is needed after the attack. Proposed measures include limits on licence numbers, enhanced intelligence use in vetting, and requirements that gun licences only go to Australian citizens.
The debate over removing recreational hunting as a legitimate reason to own firearms reflects broader questions about how Australia balances individual freedoms with community safety — a challenge that now sits at the heart of a country still reeling from its worst mass killing in decades. The coming weeks promise heated discussions in parliament, fierce public debate and, potentially, significant changes to the legal landscape of gun ownership in NSW and beyond.
7 years in the field, from local radio to digital newsrooms. Loves chasing the stories that matter to everyday Aussies – whether it’s climate, cost of living or the next big thing in tech.
