Opened the debate
Hodgins-May argued that the Victorian state government failed to provide adequate leadership on gun law reform following the Bondi massacre. The senator noted that while New South Wales participated in the national buyback, Victoria refused to join the scheme. Hodgins-May criticised the rejection of former police commissioner Ken Lay's recommendation to cap the number of firearms an individual could own. The senator stated that this allowed recreational hunters and sports shooters to possess large numbers of guns without legislative limits. Hodgins-May called for tight caps on gun ownership, prohibitions on automatic weapons, stronger licence checks, and a properly funded national buyback.