Australia recorded its highest number of registered firearms on record in 2025, with more than four million guns now legally held nationwide, according to new figures released by the federal
government.
Data from the Department of Home Affairs shows there were 4,113,735 firearms across the country last year, a sharp milestone that has intensified political debate over gun control. New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state and the site of the recent Bondi attack, accounted for 1,158,654 firearms, the highest of any state.
The figures were released on Sunday, just one day after the centre-left Labor government confirmed it would introduce new gun reform legislation to parliament. Lawmakers have been recalled from their summer recess to debate a package of measures that includes authorising a national gun buyback and lowering the threshold for hate speech prosecutions.
The proposed reforms follow the December 14 shooting at a Hanukkah celebration, which left 15 people dead and sent shockwaves through the country. The attack has reignited public scrutiny of Australia’s firearms regime, long regarded internationally as one of the world’s strictest.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the latest data underscored the urgency of reform, noting that Australia now has more guns than it did in 1996, the year a mass shooting killed 35 people and led to sweeping gun control laws under then–Prime Minister John Howard.
“The deadly antisemitic terrorist attack at Bondi Beach is a national tragedy which can never be allowed to happen again,” Burke said. He added that the government was committed to “getting dangerous guns off our streets” and preventing future acts of mass violence.
Australia’s 1996 reforms, which included a mandatory gun buyback and tighter licensing rules, are widely credited with reducing gun-related deaths. However, the steady rise in firearm numbers in recent years has raised concerns among policymakers and advocacy groups, setting the stage for what is expected to be a contentious parliamentary debate in the days ahead. Photo by Michael McConville, Wikimedia commons.