Bulletproof Ambition: The Gun Maker Seeking Power to Save His Business

When state regulation threatens to shutter a private enterprise, two options usually present themselves: adapt to the market or lobby against the laws. Jeff Bacon, the managing director of weapons manufacturer Oceania Precision, chose a third path: running for parliament to scrap the laws himself.

Positioned second on One Nation’s upper house ticket for the upcoming New South Wales election, the Tamworth-based executive is building a campaign around a single primary objective. He wants to dismantle the firearms restrictions rushed through parliament by the Labor government and the Liberal opposition on Christmas Eve 2025. That legislative intervention followed the December antisemitic attack on Bondi beach, which left fifteen people dead.

The post-Bondi reforms struck at the heart of Bacon’s business model. Under the Terrorism and Other Legislation Amendment Act, recreational gun licence holders were capped at four firearms, while primary producers were limited to ten. Crucially, the recategorisation of straight-pull and lever-release rifles stripped recreational hunters of the right to own them, effectively outlawing the core commercial models produced by Oceania Precision for the domestic market. With order cancellations mounting and revenue streams for research drying up, Bacon publicly warned that his enterprise faced financial ruin within six months.

Discontent of this nature finds fertile ground in regional politics. Backed by One Nation leader Mike Newman and federal figurehead Barnaby Joyce, Bacon is harnessing a surge in populist support. Recent polling places One Nation at a striking 25 percent of the primary vote in the state, matching or exceeding the Coalition. This surge has already rattled the opposition, prompting Liberal leader Kellie Sloane to step back from initial support for the caps and advocate for a buyback freeze.

Yet the political arithmetic remains complex. While opposition to the restrictions is pronounced among One Nation’s core base, clear majorities across the state still back the safety measures. Broad surveys indicate that roughly 63 percent of voters support the tighter regulations, leaving the gun lobby and its legislative allies fighting a steep uphill battle against public sentiment. Advocates for victims rightly note that commercial entities must eventually adapt to regulatory realities when public safety is at stake.

Bacon’s campaign illustrates a persistent dilemma in modern governance: where does legitimate industry representation end and commercial self-preservation begin? Whether voters in New South Wales will view a manufacturer’s quest to legalize his product line as principled regional advocacy or personal business rescue remains the central gamble of One Nation's strategy.

Written by Freya Stensrud freya.stensrud@alpineweekly.com