NSW says 525 guns collected as buyback bookings increase

New South Wales Police Minister Yasmin Catley says 525 guns have been collected during the first week of the state's firearms buyback. The number listed for collection and disposal has risen from about 2,500 to 4,700. Listings are not the same as firearms already surrendered.

Catley said additional surrender appointments had been made available as the scheme entered its second week. Six participating police stations are taking bookings for firearm and ammunition handovers. She argued that reducing the number of guns in circulation would reduce the risk of legally owned firearms being stolen.

The first phase provides payments of between $450 and $1,000 for eligible surrendered weapons. A second phase, planned for 2027, is intended to cover higher-value firearms. Those payment ranges describe the scheme, not an offer applying to every firearm or owner.

The policy remains contested. The state opposition says the program mainly collects guns already held in lawful owners' safes and questions whether it targets the firearms used in crime. The government presents the early collections and bookings as a positive start.

The first-week figures measure participation and collection activity. They do not yet establish the scheme's longer-term effect on theft or violent crime.