Tasmania’s firearms laws are facing their biggest shake-up in three decades, with the Firearms Amendment (Strengthening Firearms Security) Bill passing the House of Assembly late last night, Thursday, September 10, 2026. The move comes 30 years after the Port Arthur massacre, an event that saw state leaders unite to toughen gun control, and in the wake of renewed calls for stricter regulations following the tragic Bondi incident in 2025.
The comprehensive overhaul, which now heads to the Legislative Council, introduces several key changes aimed at bolstering community safety. Among them are new mandatory minimum sentences for the theft and possession of stolen firearms, a measure strongly supported by the government to deter criminals. The Bill also strengthens provisions around family violence, notably extending the exclusion period for family violence offenders from holding a firearm licence to 10 years.
Further amendments include the reclassification of certain firearms, such as straight-pull and button/lever release centre-fire and shotgun firearms, to the more restrictive Category C licence. Australian citizenship will also become a requirement for firearm ownership, with appropriate exemptions, and rules for possessing antique firearms have been clarified. Crucially, the legislation supports the implementation of a National Firearms Register, aiming to improve intelligence sharing across agencies and prevent firearms from falling into the wrong hands.
However, the most heated debate centred on the issue of capping the number of firearms an individual can own. Despite strong advocacy from Labor, the Greens, and several independents, a Labor amendment to limit licence holders to a maximum of 10 firearms (or five for recreational hunters and 10 for primary producers/sporting shooters) was narrowly defeated in the House of Assembly by 16 votes to 15.
Police Minister Felix Ellis defended the government’s stance against caps, arguing they would unfairly penalise law-abiding farmers, hunters, and sporting shooters, and that the focus should instead be on keeping firearms out of the hands of criminals. He stated that the Bill “gets the balance right” by improving safety without imposing limits on responsible owners.
This position, however, stands in contrast to the advice of Tasmania Police Commissioner Donna Adams, who publicly supported a cap on firearm ownership. Commissioner Adams highlighted a doubling of family violence firearm offences over four years and Tasmania’s nation-topping gun theft rate as reasons why fewer guns would make the community safer. Advocacy groups, including the Alannah & Madeline Foundation and Gun Control Australia, have also voiced concerns, pushing for national consistency and questioning why Tasmania is diverging from other states on this issue. Labor leader Josh Willie criticised the government’s decision, calling the absence of caps a “glaring omission” and a “shameful backflip” from agreements made at National Cabinet.
The Bill also includes provisions for a buyback scheme for affected firearms, with ongoing negotiations with the Federal Government regarding funding, estimated to cost between $40 million and $90 million. As the legislation moves to the Legislative Council, the debate over firearm ownership limits and the balance between public safety and the rights of lawful owners is expected to continue across the Mersey Valley and wider North-West Tasmania.