A parliamentary rejection of a firearm cap in Tasmania has been lamented as a missed opportunity by some, but hailed by a peak farmers group and the government.
The island state's lower house of parliament on Thursday night voted through a suite of gun reforms put forward after the deadly Bondi shooting in December 2025.
They include making Australian citizenship a licence requirement, requiring owners to pass a "fit and proper person" test and mandatory sentences for theft and possession of stolen firearms.
The Liberals, who govern in minority, are opposed to implementing gun caps, against the advice of Tasmania's top police officer.
Labor, the Greens and some independents pushed for a cap of five guns for individuals and 10 for primary producers and sports shooters to be included in the laws, but they were narrowly defeated in a 16-15 vote.
"It was very disappointing to see these changes fail," Greens MP Tabatha Badger said.
"It’s a testament to the insidious nature of the guns lobby and the harm the minister of police has done in pandering to it."
Police Minister Felix Ellis said the proposed laws had the balance right, noting improved intelligence sharing and increased penalties.
He denied ignoring advice from Tasmania Police commissioner Donna Adams, who wrote to the government in February calling for a cap.
"She approaches this through her lens. As politicians we then need to take into account the broader views," Mr Ellis told ABC radio on Friday.
"We had a very substantial consultation process, more than 600 submissions. The majority were opposed to caps."
The worst mass shooting in Australia's modern history occurred in Tasmania at Port Arthur in 1996, prompting a national ban on automatic and semi-automatic firearms.
During the debate, Labor MP Jen Butler read a letter the party had received from a Port Arthur survivor.
"Please listen to your medical colleagues and the police commissioner who strongly urge a cap on gun ownership," she read.
"They are experts with community safety as their priority, not firearm owners with vested interests."
The legislation is expected to be voted on in the upper house before the end of 2026.
Changes, including a cap, could potentially be made in the upper house, where the government also doesn't hold the numbers.
TasFarmers welcomed Thursday's vote, saying it recognised legitimate and practical needs of primary producers.
"Arbitrary caps would not have addressed the criminal misuse or theft of firearms," CEO Nathan Calman said.
"They would have imposed further restrictions on licensed farmers who already operate under strict licensing, genuine-need and storage requirements."
