Firearm licence applications in New South Wales have reportedly surged in the months following the Bondi attack, with new data revealing a sharp increase in applications. According to reporting by The Australian, the average number of firearm licence applications lodged across January, February and March 2026 rose to 2473 per month, compared with an average of 1670 applications per month between April and December 2025.
Some within the firearms industry believe the increase is being driven in part by spouses and adult children of existing firearm owners obtaining licences to lawfully retain firearms that may otherwise be affected by proposed ownership limits. Under the NSW reforms, standard licence holders are restricted to four firearms, while primary producers could retain up to 10.
As reported in The Australian, Bankstown Gun Shop co-owner Steve Ballas said there had been “skyrocketing applications of children and wives applying for gun licences”, describing what he said was a growing response from families attempting to keep firearms within their household.
SSAA CEO Tom Kenyon also commented on the issue, telling The Australian that many families felt they were being unfairly impacted by the proposed changes.
“Our experience is wives are annoyed the government is restricting their husbands from their sport for no good reason,” Mr Kenyon said.
Mr Kenyon said many families viewed the restrictions as unnecessary penalties on lawful firearm owners, with some spouses reportedly deciding to obtain their own licences in response to the caps.
The article also explores broader industry concerns around the practical implications of the reforms, including suggestions that increased numbers of licence applications may place further pressure on registry processing times. According to the report, NSW firearm owners have already noticed longer waiting periods for Permit to Acquire applications following the Bondi attack.
Retired firearms solicitor Simon Munslow told The Australian the rise in spouses obtaining licences was “clearly foreseeable to any policymaker looking at it”, arguing the response was a natural outcome of proposed ownership limits within family households, and similar to a trend noted in the ACT.
The developments come as governments across Australia continue considering further firearm law reforms following the Bondi attack. Recent interim Royal Commission findings have also renewed debate around whether legislative changes alone would have prevented the tragedy, with the report stating that “no agency has suggested that the current legislative framework prevented intelligence or law enforcement agencies from taking action that may have prevented the Bondi attack.”