Two States, Two Very Different Answers
In 2026, New South Wales and Victoria looked at the same question, how tightly to regulate legal firearm ownership, and arrived at opposite answers. For farmers and anyone involved in pest control, the divergence is worth understanding, because the rules now depend heavily on which side of the border you are on.
Both states were reacting to the national conversation that followed the Bondi terrorist attack in December 2025. NSW moved to what the government called the toughest gun law reforms in a generation. Victoria reviewed its laws and chose to leave firearm numbers uncapped. Here is what each did, and what it means if you run stock or control pests in NSW.
What NSW Did
NSW introduced a cap of four firearms per licence holder, with a critical exemption: primary producers, professional pest controllers, and competition shooters can hold up to ten firearms where the genuine reason on their licence supports it. The cap is tied to that genuine reason rather than applied as a flat number to everyone.
The package went further than the cap. Key elements included:
- Limiting straight-pull, pump-action, and button or lever release firearms to primary producers.
- Reducing magazine capacity for Category A and B firearms and prohibiting belt-fed magazines.
- Making gun club membership mandatory for all firearms licence holders.
- Removing the ability to challenge a licence decision through the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
The reforms acknowledged that firearms remain essential tools for pest control and farm management, which is the basis for the primary producer exemption. At the time the laws passed, there was some uncertainty about exactly which landholders, including some farmers and graziers, would be classified as primary producers, and the changes drew backlash from parts of the farming community.
What Victoria Did
Victoria ran a rapid review of its firearms laws, known as the Lay Report. That review recommended caps of around four firearms for hunters and up to ten for target shooters and primary producers, broadly similar to the NSW model. The Victorian government rejected the recommendation. It also rejected a firearms buyback.
The government’s reasoning was largely economic. It estimated a buyback would cost at least $437.6 million in the next financial year, reduce Victorian economic output by around $307 million by 2030, and cut at least 432 full-time equivalent jobs. Victoria has around 960,000 registered firearms and, following these decisions, no cap on how many firearms a person can own.
What It Means for NSW Farmers
If you run a NSW property, three points matter.
1. You likely keep an exemption, but confirm your status. Primary producers can hold up to ten firearms where their licence genuine reason supports it. The catch is the classification question: confirm with the NSW Police Firearms Registry that your situation is treated as primary production, especially if you are a smaller holding or a grazier rather than a broadacre cropper.
2. The administration got heavier. Even with the exemption, the surrounding obligations changed: magazine and firearm-type restrictions, mandatory club membership for all licence holders, and reduced appeal rights. For a working farmer, that is more paperwork and more conditions to keep on top of, not fewer.
3. Engaging a professional sidesteps most of it. A licensed professional pest controller already holds the firearms, the correct genuine reason, the certifications, and the insurance to do the work legally. If the new rules make holding and maintaining your own arsenal more trouble than it is worth, contracting the shooting out means the pest problem still gets solved, by someone whose licence and setup exist for exactly that purpose. This is part of the broader case for professional control over the do-it-yourself or recreational approach.
The Bottom Line
The NSW reforms tightened the rules but deliberately preserved firearms as tools for pest control and farm management. Victoria went the other way and left numbers uncapped. Neither change stops you protecting your land from feral animals. What they do change is the administrative load of doing it yourself in NSW, which strengthens the case for engaging a licensed operator who carries the compliance burden for you.
If you want to understand the credentials a professional pest controller should hold under these rules, see our guide on how to choose a professional pest controller in NSW and our licensing page.
Sources consulted: NSW Government ministerial releases on the 2026 firearms reforms; SBS News; News Of The Area (primary producer exemptions); Sporting Shooter (Victoria rejects caps); Engage Victoria (rapid review of firearms laws). This article is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your licensing position with the NSW Police Firearms Registry.