GUN owners have until the end of the month to take part in Western Australia’s $64.3 million state government-funded voluntary firearms buyback scheme, which offers licensed gun owners up to $1,000 to hand in their weapon at any WA Police station.

During the first five months of the program, 19,430 guns have already been removed from the community, including 1852 handguns, 4825 shotguns and 12,753 rifles.

New contemporary laws, which passed WA Parliament last month limit the number of guns an individual can own depending on their licence type.

The nation-leading move will see primary producers and competition shooters restricted to a maximum of 10 firearms while recreational hunters can licence no more than five.

The complete rewrite of WA’s 50-year-old Firearms Act also strips guns from the hands of serious offenders such as family and domestic violence perpetrators through the introduction of mandatory disqualifying offences and orders (MDOs).

Other changes include enhanced storage requirements and regular health assessments for gun owners, mandatory firearms training for all licence applicants and an overhaul of the corrupted written authority or ‘property letter’ system giving landowners and lease holders control over who shoots on their property.    

Premier Roger Cook said the government’s safety-first approach to gun regulation was improving community safety throughout Western Australia.

“We have experienced the devastating result of gun crime in our community, highlighting the importance of my government’s firearm reform,” he said.

“People who don’t have a legitimate need to own a gun, shouldn’t have access to one.Our tough new laws mean there are going to be less guns in our suburbs, less guns on our streets, less guns in the wrong hands.

“I’m proud to lead a government committed to improving safety for current and future generations.”