NSW gun buyback is open, with appointments required and higher-value pathway to follow

Phase 1 of the National Gun Buyback Scheme is operating in NSW, with eligible licensed owners able to apply through Gun Safe and book a surrender appointment. The current state guidance says the program is scheduled to run for 12 months in two phases, funded equally by NSW and the Commonwealth. Owners must not arrive at a police station with firearms or ammunition without an appointment.

The process begins with checking contact details and firearm records, submitting the buyback form, receiving a case number and instructions, then booking at a participating station. Stations are joining through a four-stage rollout. Eligible payments are processed within up to 10 days after surrender is verified, according to the published guidance. Eligibility, safe transport and the supplied appointment instructions still apply.

The fixed schedule lists $1,000 for a revolver or centrefire rifle, $850 for a semiautomatic handgun or double-barrel shotgun, $650 for a single-barrel shotgun, $600 for a rimfire rifle and $450 for an air rifle. A single $150 ammunition payment requires at least 1 kilogram, inclusion in the application and surrender with an eligible firearm at the same appointment. It is not an unlimited payment for each ammunition batch.

Phase 2 is planned for early 2027 and would add a fee-based independent valuation route for eligible firearms worth at least $3,000, capped at $10,000 per firearm. Detailed eligibility and payment timings are still to be published. Owners considering that route are told not to surrender the firearm through the standard pathway first.

The scheme covers lawfully held firearms affected by forthcoming ownership limits, classification changes and citizenship requirements. The state page explicitly says the relevant provisions are not yet in force and will commence on proclamation, so the buyback opening should not be mistaken for every new rule already applying. Proposed limits include 10 firearms for several occupational and sporting categories and four for other categories, with specified exceptions and no collector or dealer limit.

Unlicensed firearms do not qualify for compensation; the Permanent National Firearms Amnesty is a separate surrender route. Dealer support includes grants up to $25,000 and $500 in licence-fee relief over two years, with grant applications closing at 4 pm on 25 February 2027. The federal department says it continues discussions with other jurisdictions. This current operating position supersedes older reports that NSW's scheme had yet to begin.