Women rush to firearms training ahead of NSW gun buyback

A major sporting shooters group says it has had a rush in applications from women seeking firearms training in order to obtain gun licences, as the NSW Liberals say changes to weapons laws after the Bondi massacre were rushed and should be reviewed.

The Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (SSAA) says the increase in interest from women was, in part, to ensure their partners would not be disadvantaged by reduced caps on firearms, a key component of the laws passed on Christmas Eve.

Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane and police spokesman Anthony Roberts say the changes were rammed through as part of an omnibus bill, which included anti-protest laws, but Premier Chris Minns has warned that flagging changes to gun laws now was inappropriate given the royal commission into antisemitism started this week.

SSAA chief executive Tom Kenyon said in NSW the organisation was offering two safety courses specifically for women each week after the state government announced caps of 10 guns per person for target shooters. Most licence holders will be able to own a maximum of four guns.

“They’re angry at the changes the government made and they know that their partners enjoy the sport, and they want to help them enjoy it,” Kenyon said.

The caps were voted through parliament after father and son alleged terrorists opened fire on Bondi Beach, killing 15 people and injuring dozens more. Shooting organisations have argued the caps will unfairly harm their sport, and wanted firearms reforms dealt with separately to changes to hate speech or protest laws.

“Having more women involved will be excellent for the sport … it changes the way the sport is run, the way it’s perceived in the community,” Kenyon said.

Since restrictions on gun ownership were announced, there has been a significant increase in the number of firearms licence applications received by the NSW Firearms Registry – 2142 were submitted from December 16, 2025 to January 16 this year, up from 1254 in the same period in the previous year.

Data provided to a question on notice posed by independent MP Rod Roberts also showed the number of licence holders who applied to add sport/target shooting as a genuine reason to hold a licence increased by almost 700 per cent to 964, up from 124.

Sloane said the increase is an “unintended consequence” of the law changes, and means the legislation needs to be reviewed. The opposition is calling on the government to release what advice was received that led to the cap being set at four guns per person.

“We’re saying it’s not good enough to rush legislation so quickly just before Christmas, then close the book and not be prepared to revisit it – we’re happy to revisit it if it provides better laws,” Sloane said.

Minns said any opposition move to alter the gun laws would be a mistake, and said the political debate coinciding with the launch of the royal commission was “terrible timing”.

“I’m hoping cooler heads prevail and they stick with their original position, and that is a bipartisan consensus that we don’t need those almost weapons of mass destruction in our streets,” Minns said.

The SSAA said any discussion of “unintended consequences” was hard to stomach given there was not enough consultation or consideration of the impacts of gun reform before the vote.

SSAA NSW chief executive officer Pete Szaak said: “It’s not too little too late, but it would be a fair question as to why this is Kellie Sloane’s position now.”

Details of an impending buyback of surplus firearms are yet to be announced. The firearms registry has stopped accepting permit applications from individuals who, if granted, would exceed the caps.

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