The Committee Has Reported.
Here Is What It Means for You.
The ACT Standing Committee on Legal Affairs has published its report on the proposed firearms bills. The bills are recommended for passage — but the report contains significant acknowledgements of the concerns raised by our community. This update explains what was won, what was acknowledged, and what we will hold the Government to.
The Overall Picture
The committee recommends the Assembly pass both bills. We acknowledge that is not the outcome we sought. However, this report is not a blanket endorsement of the Government's approach. It is a document filled with caveats, acknowledgements and obligations — many of them directly reflecting the concerns raised by SSAA ACT and the broader licensed firearms community throughout this process.
These acknowledgements are now formally on the parliamentary record. They matter — both for the implementation of these laws and for the ongoing advocacy our community will continue to undertake.
The Evidence Base: The Committee's Own Words
Perhaps the most significant acknowledgement in the entire report is the committee's first formal finding — its own conclusion, in its own words:
"The Committee finds there is significant uncertainty over the operation of the proposed numerical caps."
The committee explicitly acknowledged that the link between the specific numerical caps and a reduction in firearm-related harm is not definitive. The caps were supported on the basis of a National Cabinet commitment and a broad principle — not on ACT-specific data demonstrating they will improve public safety.
The committee was influenced primarily by two factors: the National Cabinet agreement of December 2025 — which was a commitment to develop options, not a binding mandate to introduce caps — and the stated goal of aligning with NSW. Notably, the committee also acknowledged that the ACT is already out of alignment with NSW in a number of respects, undermining that rationale.
Exemptions and Discretion: Risks Acknowledged
The bill as drafted contains the ability for the Firearms Registrar to grant exemptions and exceptions above the legislated caps. The committee found that the discretionary nature of this power introduces real and unacceptable risk — applicants cannot predict the threshold for approval, and inconsistent outcomes are likely without clear statutory criteria.
- ✓ Recommendation 1 The Government must establish a criteria-based approval framework in legislation so that exemption decisions are clear, consistent and open to review — not left to unconstrained Registrar discretion.
This is a direct win. Our submissions argued that without clear criteria, the exemption process would be arbitrary and unpredictable. The committee agreed and has made legislating that framework a recommendation.
Consultation: The Committee's Strongest Criticism
The committee's criticism of the Government's consultation approach was direct and unambiguous. It found that many of the problems identified during the inquiry — the biathlon oversight, the antique firearms issue, cross-border complexity and other unintended consequences — could have been identified and resolved before introduction had the Government engaged meaningfully with affected communities.
Committee scrutiny is not a replacement for consultation by executive government. It is supplementary. The Committee was cautious about the Government's assertion that the inquiry process itself constituted adequate public scrutiny.
The committee was careful to note it did not accept the Government's position that introducing a bill and allowing parliamentary scrutiny was a substitute for genuine engagement with those impacted. This directly validates what we have said throughout this process.
- ✓ Recommendation 4 The Government must continue to consult all relevant internal and external stakeholders about implementation to minimise unintended consequences.
Cross-Border Issues: Complexity Confirmed
The committee confirmed that cross-border arrangements between the ACT and NSW are not straightforward — and that these bills make them significantly more complex. Farmers, pest control operators, recreational shooters and sporting competitors who live or operate on both sides of the border face real and as-yet-unresolved questions about compliance.
While some mutual recognition arrangements exist between ACT and NSW, the committee acknowledged these do not mean NSW simply recognises everything under ACT law and vice versa. The ACT's lower cap of 5 differs from NSW's 4. Different category definitions and genuine reason requirements create real compliance risk for anyone operating across the border. Clear guidance does not yet exist.
- ✓ Recommendation 3 ACT and NSW governments must work together to produce clear plain-English materials explaining how the new laws operate on both sides of the border — including mutual recognition arrangements.
- ✓ Recommendation 6 Firearm categories should align with other jurisdictions as much as possible, with plain-English explanation of any differences published for licence holders.
Recategorisation: Unintended Consequences Accepted
The committee found that the recategorisation of straight-pull, self-opening and self-closing action firearms to Category C produced unintended consequences for legitimate activities — consequences that were not considered during the bill's rapid development. The biathlon situation is the clearest example.
Biathlon Australia told the committee its sport would effectively be shut down in the ACT. Biathlon rifles are low-powered .22 calibre straight-pull firearms. Under the recategorisation, only primary producers can hold Category C licences — and minors cannot hold one at all. Two recent Winter Olympians train at the Canberra Rifle Club. The Government admitted this simply had not been considered during the bill's drafting.
Crucially, both the Minister for Police and the Chief Police Officer confirmed in evidence that regulatory changes — including exceptions and exemptions — can be made to address these consequences. The Government has also committed in its own submission that it will engage with the community going forward:
Committed to ongoing engagement with the firearms community to work through the regulatory impacts of the Public Safety Bill and ensure that this amendment does not disproportionately affect specific groups of gun owners.
This is a commitment on the record. We will hold the Government to it — particularly for sports shooters, biathletes, pest control operators, and anyone affected by changes to firearm categories.
- ✓ Recommendation 5 Further work must be undertaken to enable biathletes to participate in their sport in the ACT, with a consistent process developed for further cases as they arise.
- ✓ Recommendation 2 The Government must engage with the antique collector community to clarify how caps, exemptions and magazine provisions apply — and how they interact with ammunition availability.
The Buyback: Fairness and Transparency Demanded
The committee found the lack of detail around the National Gun Buyback Scheme to be a significant concern. It made clear that owners required to surrender firearms deserve certainty — and that the compensation must be fair. The committee's position on this is unambiguous.
💰 Market value or higher
Compensation must reflect the actual pre-December 2025 market value — not the depressed post-announcement price caused by oversupply following WA and eastern-states reforms.
🔧 Accessories & ammunition
Optics, bipods, scopes and other accessories become worthless when the firearm is surrendered. Ammunition must also be included — it is an offence to possess it without the matching licence.
📄 Voluntary surrenders covered
Any licence holder who wishes to voluntarily surrender additional firearms — not just those required to — should also receive market value or higher through the buyback scheme.
📋 Full cost to be tabled
The Government must table the full estimated cost of the buyback scheme in the Assembly once Commonwealth discussions are finalised — giving full visibility of the financial commitment.
- ✓ Recommendation 8 Table the full estimated cost of the buyback scheme in the Assembly when Commonwealth discussions are finalised.
- ✓ Recommendation 9 Advocate for the inclusion of accessories and ammunition in the buyback scheme.
Storage and Compliance: A Better Path Forward
A consistent message from the licensed community throughout this inquiry was that improvements to storage requirements and compliance inspections would do more to reduce firearm theft than ownership caps. The committee agreed — and made it a priority recommendation.
- ✓ Recommendation 7 (Priority) Develop and introduce legislation as a priority to strengthen firearm storage, compliance and licence pre-approval requirements. The committee stated the Government should consult with experienced owners, clubs and collectors in developing these requirements.
What This Means for Our Community: Six Key Takeaways
Here is our reading of the six things that matter most from this report — and what we will be doing about each of them.
The evidence base was formally confirmed as insufficient
The committee's own Finding 1 acknowledges "significant uncertainty" over the caps. The Government's decision was driven by National Cabinet politics and NSW alignment — not ACT-specific data. This is now on the parliamentary record.
Exemptions exist — but we must fight for workable criteria
The bill contains exemptions above the caps. Recommendation 1 requires those criteria be written into legislation. We will actively engage in that process to ensure the criteria are practical, fair and genuinely accessible.
Regulatory flexibility is available for recategorisation
The Minister and the CPO both confirmed regulatory exceptions can address unintended consequences. The Government has committed to ongoing engagement. We will hold them to that commitment — particularly for sports shooters, biathletes and pest operators.
Cross-border complexity is real and unresolved
The committee confirmed that mutual recognition is not blanket recognition. Until clear plain-English guidance is developed (Recommendation 3), anyone operating across the ACT-NSW border faces genuine legal uncertainty. We will continue to push for that guidance as a matter of urgency.
The buyback must be fair — and the committee said so
Compensation at market value or above (pre-December 2025), including accessories and ammunition, is now a committee recommendation. This is leverage we will use in ongoing engagement with both the ACT and Commonwealth governments.
Our call for proper consultation was validated
The report's conclusion explicitly states the inquiry cannot substitute for genuine executive consultation. Our community's demand for meaningful engagement was validated by the committee. Recommendation 4 makes it an obligation going forward.
While the bills will likely pass, this report has created a clear set of obligations on the Government — and a set of commitments on the record that our community can and will hold it to. On consultation, on exemptions, on buyback fairness, on regulatory flexibility, on cross-border clarity: these are now formal recommendations of a parliamentary committee. We will continue to engage at every step to ensure those commitments are honoured, and we will keep our members informed throughout.
If you have questions about how these changes may affect you specifically — your licence category, your firearms, your activities or your cross-border arrangements — please contact SSAA ACT directly. We are here to help our members navigate what comes next.