Australian government says firearms hit a record high in 2025

SYDNEY, Jan 18: The number of firearms in Australia reached an all-time high of more than 4 million in 2025, the centre-left government reported on Sunday, a day after saying it would introduce a gun reform bill in parliament in response to the Bondi massacre.

There were a record 4,113,735 guns in Australia last year, with 1,158,654 of those in the most populous state of New South Wales where the Bondi attack took place, the government said, citing Department of Home Affairs data.

The Labor government on Saturday said parliament, recalled from its summer break, would debate bills this week to authorise a gun buyback and lower the bar for hate speech prosecutions - measures drafted in the wake of the December 14 shooting that killed 15 at a Hanukkah celebration.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said there were now more guns in Australia than at the time of a 1996 shooting that killed 35 and prompted a gun buyback scheme by the conservative government of former Prime Minister John Howard.    �"REUTERS