Firearms reform

We are reforming firearms law and regulation to provide for greater protection of public safety and simplify regulatory requirements to improve compliance.

Objectives

The firearms reform programme will deliver a firearms regulatory system that:

supports the safe possession and use of firearms and other weapons for legitimate purposes, such as sports, hunting, collecting, and pest control

imposes controls that protect individuals and the public from firearms-related harm.

Why we are doing this

Since the Act was passed 40 years ago, it has been changed many times, including in response to events in New Zealand’s history where there were many deaths involving firearms. One tragic example of this was on 15 March 2019, where a terrorist attacked worshippers at two Christchurch mosques.

Changes to the Act were often made quickly. This meant that a thorough review of all the rules in the Act was often not possible at the time. This has resulted in today’s firearms rules being complicated to understand for a range of firearms users, making it hard for some users to know what to do to comply.

To address this, the Government has made a broad and ambitious commitment to reform the firearms regulatory regime this Parliamentary term.

How we are delivering the work

The Coalition Agreement between National and ACT committed to making changes to several parts of the firearms regulatory system.

This has been broken up into four overlapping phases of work. Phase 1 is now complete, and the other phases are in different stages of development.

Phase 1 – Effective enforcement (improvements to Firearms Prohibition Orders)

This was part of a first 100-days coalition commitment to give Police additional power to search gang members for firearms. This will help prevent high-risk people from legally accessing or using firearms or associating with people who have firearms. The additional powers were enabled through amendments to the Firearms Prohibition Orders regime. The Firearms Prohibition Orders Legislation Amendment Act 2024 was passed in September 2024 and the law will come into effect in March 2025.

Phase 2 – Regulating shooting clubs and shooting ranges

This addresses concerns about Part 6 of the Arms Act relating to the controls placed on shooting clubs and shooting ranges in 2020. The bill is currently before Parliament.

You can read more about the bill on the New Zealand Parliament website.

Arms (Shooting Clubs, Shooting Ranges, and Other Matters) Amendment Bill - New Zealand Parliament(external link)

Phase 3 – Institutional arrangements for effective and efficient regulation

This involves a review of the Firearms Registry to determine if it is effectively improving public safety. Phase 3 also involves the transfer of the Firearms Safety Authority, regulator of the Arms Act, to another department.

Phase 4 – A systematic rewrite to modernise the Arms Act 1983

This will involve rewriting the Arms Act to ensure it provides for greater protection of public safety, reflects best regulatory practice, and is fit for purpose.

From 13 January to 28 February 2025, we will be inviting submissions from all communities in New Zealand to inform the rewrite of the Act. We will update this page in January with more information about the consultation.

Our framework

Our framework guides how we develop new policy through the firearms reform to ensure it is cohesive, consistent and contributes to the reform’s objectives.

Criteria to guide the development and assessment of proposals

Regulatory controls imposed by the regime should:

contribute to protecting the public from firearms-related harm

be simple and easy to understand and apply

be necessary to achieve the overarching objectives

protect individual freedoms and rights and the security and privacy of personal information

provide for effective and efficient delivery of service.

Our approach

Recognising the wide public interest and diversity of views about firearms regulation, our approach to reform will:

be undertaken in an open and transparent manner that enhances trust and confidence

be informed by evidence and regulatory best practice

balance input, information, and practicalities from a range of stakeholders.

Minister’s Arms Advisory Group

The Minister’s Arms Advisory Group (MAAG) advises the Minister on matters that contribute to achieving the objectives of the Arms Act, in particular, the safe use and control of firearms. The Ministry of Justice performs the secretariat function.

It provides advice on any matter relating to firearms in New Zealand, including:

legislative proposals

policies for regulating New Zealand’s firearms regime

the promotion of firearms safety.

MAAG is made up of a balance of members from both firearm-owning and the non-firearm-owning communities. This includes people who are concerned about the mitigation of harm from firearms from a health perspective.

You can find out more about MAAG on the NZ Police website.

Minister's Arms Advisory Group(external link)

Contact us

Please contact us if you want to know more about our firearms reform work. You can email us at firearms@justice.govt.nz

Cabinet papers and related information

This page was last updated: 17th December 2024

Firearms reform

Objectives

Why we are doing this

How we are delivering the work

Phase 1 – Effective enforcement (improvements to Firearms Prohibition Orders)

Phase 2 – Regulating shooting clubs and shooting ranges

Phase 3 – Institutional arrangements for effective and efficient regulation

Phase 4 – A systematic rewrite to modernise the Arms Act 1983

Our framework

Criteria to guide the development and assessment of proposals

Our approach

Minister’s Arms Advisory Group

Contact us

Cabinet papers and related information

Setting out the firearms reform programme

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Phase 4

Current firearms legislation and regulations

Useful links