Courts & Police
26 October, 2026
Gun buyback to begin at Hume police stations in February
The Hume Police District will participate in the NSW Government's national firearms buyback scheme, with gun owners able to surrender eligible firearms from February next year.
The Hume Police District will participate in the NSW Government's national firearms buyback scheme, with gun owners able to surrender eligible firearms from February next year.
Goulburn, Southern Highlands, and Yass are among the police stations selected to participate in the fourth stage of the scheme, which begins on Monday 8 February 2027.
Eligible firearms licence holders will be able to book appointments at these stations from 24 November 2026, although firearms cannot be surrendered locally until February. Walk-in firearm surrenders under the buyback scheme are not permitted.
The scheme follows sweeping changes to NSW firearms laws introduced after the Bondi Beach terrorist attack, which claimed 15 lives.
Under the new laws, recreational hunters and those holding licences for vermin control will generally be limited to four firearms, while primary producers, sporting shooters and certain other licence holders will be permitted up to 10.
The buyback will allow eligible licence holders to surrender surplus and reclassified firearms in exchange for compensation under a fixed-price schedule.
The Government estimates approximately 18 per cent of NSW firearms licence holders will be eligible to participate, with up to 274,000 firearms potentially surrendered across the state.
Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley said the scheme was designed to reduce the number of firearms in circulation.
“Fewer guns in the community mean a safer community. It means fewer guns at risk to fall into the wrong hands. It’s that simple,” Ms Catley said.
“The Buyback is a significant undertaking in public safety. NSW Police across the state are well placed and trained to safely and securely deal with the surrender and destruction of firearms.”
The Government has also introduced mandatory safe storage checks before permits to acquire firearms are issued, reduced firearms licence periods from five years to two and strengthened identity verification requirements.
The scheme will operate for 12 months.
Firearms owners seeking further information can contact the NSW Police Gun Buyback hotline on 1800 131 555, Monday to Friday, between 9am and 4pm.
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