Gun laws of Australia

Firearm restrictions in Australia primarily fall under the jurisdiction of Australian states and territories, while the federal government oversees the importation of firearms. During the last two decades of the 20th century, in response to several high-profile mass shootings, the federal government worked closely with state governments to implement more stringent firearms legislation.

Gun laws were largely aligned in 1996 by the National Firearms Agreement which introduced stricter gun control measures and explicitly made gun ownership a privilege. In two federally funded gun buybacks and voluntary surrenders and State Governments' gun amnesties before and after the Port Arthur Massacre, more than a million firearms were collected and destroyed, possibly a third of the national stock. Since then the Agreement has continued to have support from both Labor and Coalition Federal Governments. In December 2023 the National Cabinet agreed to implement a national firearms register within four years.

A person must have a firearm licence to possess or use a firearm. Licence holders must be able to demonstrate at least one "genuine reason" (which explicitly excludes self-defence) for holding a firearm licence and must not be a "prohibited person". All firearms must be registered by serial number to the owner.

According to a 2025 review by The Australia Institute, while the National Firearms Agreement significantly improved public safety, the number of registered firearms has increased by approximately 25% since 1996. They noted emerging threats such as 3D-printed guns and recommended strengthening firearm regulations.

In December 2025, a proposed national gun buy-back was announced by prime minister Anthony Albanese following the Bondi Beach shooting.