Felix Ellis' gun survey results revealed

By Simon McGuire
Tasmanian Country
02 Feb 2026
A hunter

More than 5800 people have taken part in a firearms survey conducted by Police Minister Felix Ellis’ office.

The survey found that 74 per cent of respondents strongly opposed caps on the number of firearms that farmers, sporting shooters and recreational hunters can own.

Meanwhile, 76 per cent strongly opposed the federal government’s gun buyback scheme and 48 per cent strongly opposed shorter periods for firearms licence renewals.

Measures that received the majority of respondents' strong support included citizenship requirements for firearm owners, more information sharing by ASIO and other security agencies with firearms licencing authorities, a focus on preventing criminals from obtaining firearms as the priority for reform, and stronger penalties for firearm theft and illegal possession.

Other survey questions garnered more mixed responses.

When asked if they support accelerating the creation of the National Firearms Register, 23 per cent of respondents strongly supported it, 18 per cent somewhat supported it, 23 per cent said they were neutral on the issue, 7 per cent somewhat opposed it, 19 per cent strongly opposed it and 4 per cent were unsure.

The question about more regular inspections for firearm owners also drew a mixed response, with 14 per cent strongly supporting it, 21 per cent somewhat supportive, 31 per cent neutral, 14 per cent somewhat opposed, 19 per cent strongly opposed, and 1 per cent unsure.

Mr Ellis said he was pleased with the strong number of survey respondents.

“With more than 5,800 responses, the survey demonstrates the community wants to ensure firearms don't fall into the hands of terrorists and criminals while also supporting responsible firearms owners,” he said.

“We will continue to work through the right firearms settings for Tasmania in a calm and considered manner.”

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Comments

AC

These surveys are useless if they do not give firearms owners the ability to explain their answers. I am against a federal firearms registry, but not because I think it is a bad idea - rather, i oppose it because the government, and any initiative by them which requires a "portal", proprietary software, or any other of the brilliant ideas they usually have, manage to make any roll-out of a new system absolute torture for the end-user, and result in delays, uncertainty, and anxiety for firearms owners who WANT to comply with legal requirements but are forced to work within systems not fit for purpose and run by people who have no interest in helping farmers, sport shooters, and other legal owners.

Anonymous

About time somebody with brains and good logic i hope that it continues forward in a cencebal manner 👍

Winfried Jaehne

It would be ludicrous that firearm holders, that are not, for some reason, Australian citizens, but lived here for 30, 40 or 50 years, with no criminal record, to lose their license……. that would not make any sense at all and surely should be given consideration.

Anton Manes

If you are a non citizen after being a resident for 30,40,50 years, that alone raises a red flag in terms of your loyalty to Australia and it’s laws, and should be a red flag for having a shooters license!

In reply to by Winfried Jaehne
Joe

This needs to be looked at
Look at the individuals and you will be able to tell if they are genuine law abiding citizens or not .
I have seen people buying guns at gun shops who I know will not be going hunting or down to a range dressed in their traditional every day attire

In reply to by Winfried Jaehne
Anonymous

This Labour government have the mentality that it is easier to penalise the already conforming and law abiding innocent than go after the guilty!

Malcolm Tudor

What a load of shit a non citizen not to be able to hold a gun licence the firearms police due a very stringent test before issuing a licence which states you are a fit and proper person to hold one what is the difference between a permanent resident who is a fit and proper person and a Australian Citizen who is a fit and proper person noneat all does being. An Australian Citizen make you superior to a permanent resident was the to Islamic terrorist at the Bondi Shooting Australian Citizens

In reply to by Raymond Smith
Elbee Melb

I never would have thought in a million years that was even a possibility. Nor would I have believed that someone in associations with a relative with ties with ISIS would also be allowed firearms. This was a dismal failure of ACIC, ASIO and the NSW firearms registry.

In reply to by Raymond Smith
Paul Leslie

Utter nonsense. These are the rash stupid statements typically made by Government bodies when issues with guns arise. No proper thought has been given to this statement which create issues for our members. I was NOT BORN in Australia, however, I was born in Hong Kong from English parents who were moving to Australia in 1948 . I'm 78 years old, a law-abiding gun owner and have been Hunting since a teenager. I have been a member of a pistol club and still a current member of SSAA....and still hunt.
So, you are telling me I can't have a gun license?

In reply to by Raymond Smith
Geoff

Reconsider your comments my friend, it's pointless prejudging anyone who was not born in Aus to not own firearms. There are thousands of people who qualified for permanent residence status to take up residency in this country, who came here with very strong and disciplined backgrounds in firearms, based on their involvement in compulsory military training, growing up on large farms and lived in rural country.
I know several people born in Australia, whom I would not allow to use a slingshot, let alone a firearm, just bringing to your attention that not being born here, has nothing to do with responsibly owning and using a firearm. Every firearm owner has to meet serious minimum attributes and demonstrate their ability to safely use and store firearms safely.

In reply to by Raymond Smith
Peter Foot

Just another abusive insult to the legal Australian firearms license holder.

Justin kovacic

The one bug bare is when you own a few. Firearms and are looking to purchase another (in particular a smaller caliber) you still have to have a 28 day cooling off period .
Example : I own a high powered 30-06 and a .222. Now if I wanted to replace either of those , like for like or I wanted to purchase a smaller caliber, say a slug gun or .22 I would have a mandatory 28 day cooling off period.. doesn’t make sense.

Kaz Stefan Branecki

The way things are going in Australia it'll soon be illegal and a punishable offence if you're found to be a law-abiding decent Aussie male.

Elbee Melb

This chatter about firearms limits is one of the worst gun-grabs since the 1996 Howard steal-back. If ACIC (formally Crimtrac), ASIO &amp; the NSW Firearms Registry did their jobs - to the letter of their beloved gun laws, none of this would have happened. Instead, it would have been a car bomb, a vehicle-massacre etc, not an issue focused purely on firearms. I would argue using a vehicle on a beach would have resulted in many more lives lost. I have written to numerous MPs, even Greens MPs like Aiv Puglielli (yes a complete waste of time, but I did it anyway). I got non-sensical responses like this off them. This was their hit-list of concerns. Do they even know the current laws &amp; hurdles Australian Shooters have to contend with???

- A sensible limit on the number of firearms a person can own (how do you determine this?)
- Bans on rapid-fire and high-powered weapons that increase the risk of serious harm (what is high powered? What is rapid fire?)
- Time-limited licences, with repeated character checks and family violence checks over time (Already exists)
- Mandatory reporting when guns are lost or stolen (already exists)
- A buy-back to remove excess and high-risk firearms from the community (This is looking like it'd cost the community in excess of $2B - waste of money!)

Can't trust Labor, Liberals and certainly not the Greens. We need to yank the rug out from under these parties. I know which way I'm voting next election, and have done so in elections past. Get onboard! I'm a single issue voter!

Derek Browning

Between 1997 and 2025 firearms numbers increased from just over 3million to just over 4million. An increase of 33%. At the same time the population increased from just over 18million to just over 27million, an increase on 50%. Effectively there has been a 17% decrease in the number of firearms in Australia.
Currently there are 943K licence holders in Australia owning 4million firearms. That is 4.5 firearms per licence holder. That's less than the NSW Premier is going to cap them at. What's his point?
I believe that permanent residents should not be penalised for holding a fire arms licence. Interestingly the Victorian police commissioner is ineligible to hold a firearms licence because he is a NZ citizen, His position as a police officer allows him to carry a firearm, but he would not be allowed to improve his skills at a non police range. This would also apply to police officers that have been recruited from overseas as well as members of the defence force.
This legislation has been rushed and not properly thought through.

Scott

You must be joking they the criminals and or terrorists will just buy and attain firearms another way they won't be legal because they have no respect for the law that is why they are called criminals. Just remember that the US military left 350,000 full auto s in afghanistan which has now become a global underground leader illegal firearms. We had a nutter that killed 6 people and injured 18 others single handed at Bondi junction with a knife I could say if there were 2 of them that figure would double. Yet 2 gunmen only managed to kill 15 people , Martin Briant by himself managed I believe around 35 if there were 2 of him that would have been 70. The probability and stats just don't add up.

Max

None of the proposed measures would prevent the Bondi attack except may be a citizenship requirement. The rest would draw more police force and taxes into useless efforts, which would make things worse if anything

PAUL MURRAY

at least Tasmania is working with and through their associations and giving feed back to their members and others.