New South Wales in Australia is slated to begin a gun buyback scheme in November, the first state in the nation to kick-off the program as part of the national response to a shooting spree that killed 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration in the state capital of Sydney, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Sunday.Albanese and New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said the scheme would start on November 2.People who return eligible firearms under the first phase would receive fixed compensation ranging from $450 to $1,000 per firearm, depending on the type.
A second phase will provide a valuation pathway for certain higher-value firearms, capped at $10,000 per firearm.Albanese's center-left government adopted new gun-control laws in January in the aftermath of the December 14 attack at a Bondi Beach Hanukkah celebration, including the gun buyback program and tighter firearms measures.New South Wales separately passed tighter state firearms laws in December, while the federal government also strengthened laws targeting hate speech and extremism.The pair of alleged gunmen used firearms that were obtained legally.
Australia's government said there were a record 4.1 million firearms in the country last year, including more than 1.1 million in New South Wales, its most populous state.AUSTRALIA VOWS TO STRENGTHEN HATE SPEECH LAWS, GUN CONTROL IN WAKE OF BONDI BEACH ATTACKAustralian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's government adopted new gun-control laws in January in the aftermath of the December 14 attack at a Bondi Beach Hanukkah celebration.(Hollie Adams/Reuters)"We must do everything we can to make sure the antisemitic terrorist attack in Bondi doesn’t happen again.
That includes meaningful nationwide gun reform," Albanese said in a statement.The initiative is set to be Australia's largest buyback since a similar effort following the 1996 massacre in Tasmania's Port Arthur, when a gunman killed 35 people."Australians are quite rightly proud of our ...