Victoria Police backed a proposal to limit the number of firearms a firearms license holder could legally own before the Allan government rejected it, a move that led to accusations it was putting politics ahead of public safety.
The state’s top Jewish council has also urged the government to fully implement all recommendations from the former police commissioner. Ken Lay’s review of gun ownership law, which was ordered following the Bondi terror attack on a Jewish festival last year.
The Allan government said on Monday it would implement 15 recommendations from Lay’s review of gun laws, but not his call to limit the ownership of four guns per person, as well as an exemption for up to 10 guns if applicants can show “compelling need”.
NSW announced a ban on four handguns in December. The ACT has announced five gun caps, based on Western Australian legislation implemented in 2024.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Jacinta Allan maintained that the ownership restriction was unnecessary, in a blow to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s plans for a national gun buyback program.
But Lay’s review shows that Victoria Police supported the ownership cap, based on the safety benefits of removing weapons from circulation and the fact that many gun owners only had a limited number of guns.
Police told the Lay Review that the ownership restriction would reduce the number of firearms in circulation and reduce opportunities for “one-off theft or misuse”.
The report says Victoria Police recognized there was a risk that law-abiding license holders would start buying illegal firearms to avoid the cap. However, it said the ban would ease pressure on the regulatory system and allow for closer scrutiny of license holders seeking to acquire large quantities of firearms, such as assessing their storage arrangements.
The police force recommended that Victoria adopt the NSW model of a limit of four weapons, and supported exemptions for those who could demonstrate a genuine reason to own more, such as farmers and competitive use.
Although it rejected Lay’s first proposal, the Allan government accepted all other proposals, including restricting gun ownership to Australian citizens and New Zealand permanent residents.
It will also consider updated gun categories so that the most dangerous firearms are properly classified, introducing health assessments as part of the licensing and renewal process, and mandatory screening of unlicensed people at shooting ranges.
Allan said on Tuesday he did not think the ownership restrictions were necessary, and that efforts needed to be focused on preventing criminals from obtaining firearms.
“Most gun owners are responsible, and they take those responsibilities very seriously,” he said. “We already have strong and tough gun laws in Victoria. The announcements we made yesterday are about strengthening that system even further”.
When asked about its presentation on Tuesday, a Victoria Police spokeswoman said it would work with the government “on the implementation of the agreed review recommendations”.
The Alannah & Madeline Foundation – named after Alannah and Madeline Mikac, who were killed along with their mother and 32 others in the Port Arthur massacre in 1996 – welcomed the reform but said the rejection of the gun ownership cap was a missed opportunity to protect Victorians.
“It is very concerning that political considerations in an election year seem to take precedence over what is needed to protect public safety,” chief executive Sarah Davies said.
“We strongly urge the government to reconsider its position on helmets and strengthen the requirement for license holders to demonstrate a genuine need for each weapon.”
Allan’s East Bendigo electorate has one of the highest numbers of licensed duck hunters of any Labor-held seat, with 543 licensed in 2023 – the equal to 1 percent of voters.
Jewish Community Council of Victoria chief executive Naomi Levin said recommendations from the Lay review – which was ordered after 15 people were shot dead at a Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach – needed to be fully implemented.
“We are grateful that the Victorian government acted quickly to commission and then respond to the review of Victoria’s current firearms laws,” Levin said. “However, our firm view is that all measures necessary to protect the safety of the community must be implemented.
“If Ken Lay, who carried out this assessment, recommends a limit of four weapons per licensee, except in special circumstances, then we would encourage the Victorian government to implement this proposal.”
Less than 20 percent of the state’s gun users would be affected by the proposed measure, Lay’s review found. About 46,540 license holders currently own more than four types of A and B weapons.
However, the ban would result in about 286,749 guns being disposed of in Victoria – reducing the overall number by almost 30 per cent, it found.
Victorian Nationals leader Danny O’Brien said on Tuesday the ownership restriction would not have stopped the alleged Bondi shooter and there was no evidence it would make Victoria safer.
A spokesman for the Victoria Police Association said the union was “overwhelmingly supportive of the position adopted by the government” in response to Lay’s review.
Coroners’ Court data shows 459 people were killed by firearms in Victoria in the decade to 2025. The majority (342) were ruled suicides and 104 were assaults. Triple Zero received more than 10,500 gun-related calls during the same period, the report found.
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Patrick Hatch is a travel reporter at The Age and a former business writer.Connect through X or email address.
