Proposed new gun laws said to be the toughest in NSW history are whipping up swift and serious opposition in regional areas.

Peak bodies are loudly voicing their opposition, and a petition launched by a Sydney-based shooters association has seen a rapidly rising response from rural residents.

"This lays squarely on the Federal and State Government for their previous inaction, don’t make law abiding citizens pay for this," Mr Butler said.

Country Mayors President Rick Firman is concerned the new laws will hurt farmers and other regional residents while NSW Farmers boss Xavier Martin says the government are aiming in the wrong direction.

He says his organisation made multiple attempts over the past week to engage with the NSW Government in the wake of the Bondi terror attack to ensure farmers and those in agriculture were not impacted by any knee-jerk reaction to the atrocity.

“Farmers have been misled by the NSW Government.

"It’s incredible this government has allowed generous capping exemptions for recreational shooters but for farmers who need firearms to control pests, minimise biosecurity risks and for the humane management of animals, the government hasn’t given us a second’s thought.

“The Premier acknowledged farmers and agriculture had unique requirements when it came to firearms but these reforms have been put together in such a rush, the government hasn’t even turned its attention to the unintended consequences and anomalies.

“Firearms laws are complex and multifaceted, and it is deeply disappointing that despite our repeated offers to provide practical input and consultation the government has not chosen to talk to us,” Mr Martin said.

NSWFA President Xavier Martin.

NSW Farmers is particularly concerned about the capping of 10 firearms for those in agriculture as this will impact farmers whose farm business spreads over more than one property and may require them to transport guns between multiple properties, creating other potential risks.

“We’re now being told that farmers have to sign up to a gun club in order to keep their licence.

"What will this mean for farmers who live hours away from their closest gun club?

“Changing the licence renewal period from five years to two years is also ridiculous.

"It’s more red-tape for law abiding farmers who just want to get on with their job of producing the best food and fibre in the world.

“NSW Farmers does not support unworkable rules on firearms for farmers and those working in agriculture, and we will continue to make representations on behalf of our sector.

“We believe these changes will increase risk to the public, not diminish it, and will seriously reduce our ability to tackle the exploding numbers of feral and pest animals across the landscape, and damage the state’s productivity.

“Last week’s atrocity was not the fault of firearms.

"It was an act of violent extremism which had everything to do with hate.

"We welcome the crackdown on hate speech, but we are deeply frustrated that the government has failed to engage in any meaningful way in what is a critical issue for farmers.”

What changes could be coming

The new laws will include:

Capping and restricting the number and types of firearms:

• Imposing a cap of four firearms per individual, with strict exemptions for primary producers and sports shooters, who may hold a maximum of 10 firearms.

• Reclassifying straight-pull/pump-action and button/lever release firearms into Category C, limiting their access primarily to primary producers.

• Reducing magazine capacity for Category A and B firearms to a maximum of five to ten rounds, from a current unlimted capacity.

• Introducing a complete ban on firearms that can use belt-fed magazines.

Strengthening firearms licence checks and accountability:

• Removing the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) review pathway, ensuring we can use sensitive police intelligence without concern that a decision will be overturned by a tribunal, while retaining a rebust internal review process to ensure fairness and accountability.

• Reducing standard firearms licence terms from five years to two years, increasing the frequency of safety and suitability checks.

• Restricting firearms licences to Australian citizens only, with a carve out for New Zealand permanent residents engaged in roles such as primary production or security.

• Replace a current exemption allowing unlicensed shooting at shooting ranges with a robust NSWPF permit system to suitably assess unlicensed individuals before they access firearms.

Strengthening oversight, storage and compliance:

• Making gun club membership mandatory for all firearms licence holders, with the ability to exempt certain licence holders in the regulations.

• Requiring all gun clubs to use the GunSafe online platform to improve record-keeping, compliance and traceability of club membership and activities.

• Making safe storage inspections mandatory prior to the issue of a first permit to acquire a firearm, individuals will now need to meet the safe keeping requirements before obtaining a permit to aquire a firearm.

• Prevent any permit or licence holder from acquiring a firearm unless the Commissioner is satisfied that they meet safe keeping requirements. Police may conduct an inspection for this purpose.

• Tightening rules around deceased estates, requiring firearms licence holders to nominate alternative storage arrangements for safe keeping of their firearms in the event of their death when applying for, or renewing, their licence. Police will also be able to seize these firearms, if required.

Among the parliamentary voices pushing back against the changes are Independent MP for Barwon Roy Butler and other independents Phil Donato and MLC John Ruddick.

A petition against the proposed gun laws has already garnered 70,000 as at 7.30am on Monday 22 December.