Gun law in New Zealand
Aspect of New Zealand laws
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Key Takeaways
- The gun laws of New Zealand are contained in the Arms Act 1983 statute, which includes multiple amendments including those that were passed subsequent to the 1990 Aramoana massacre and the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings.
- 5 million firearms.
- Several different categories of licence are permitted, with the most common, "A Category", permitting access to sporting configuration rifles and shotguns.
- After the Christchurch mosque shootings in 2019, legislation to restrict semi-automatic firearms and magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds, and provide an amnesty and buyback of such weapons, was introduced and passed by the New Zealand parliament 119 to 1.
- Firearms legislation is provided for in the New Zealand's gun laws: the Arms Act 1983, Arms Amendment Act 1992, and Arms Regulations 1992 and associated regulations.
The gun laws of New Zealand are contained in the Arms Act 1983 statute, which includes multiple amendments including those that were passed subsequent to the 1990 Aramoana massacre and the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings.
Nearly 300,000 licensed firearm owners own and use New Zealand's estimated 1.5 million firearms. Gun licences are issued at the discretion of the police provided they consider the person to be of good standing and without criminal, psychiatric or drug issues; as well as meeting other conditions such as having suitable storage facilities. Several different categories of licence are permitted, with the most common, "A Category", permitting access to sporting configuration rifles and shotguns.
Tighter regulation was imposed immediately after the Aramoana massacre in 1990, and the Scottish Dunblane and Australian Port Arthur massacres in 1996. After the Christchurch mosque shootings in 2019, legislation to restrict semi-automatic firearms and magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds, and provide an amnesty and buyback of such weapons, was introduced and passed by the New Zealand parliament 119 to 1.
Firearms law
Gun laws in New Zealand focus mainly on vetting firearm owners, rather than registering firearms or banning certain types of firearms. Firearms legislation is provided for in the New Zealand's gun laws: the Arms Act 1983, Arms Amendment Act 1992, and Arms Regulations 1992 and associated regulations. About 250,000 people hold a New Zealand firearms licence. On 10 April 2019 new bills passed placing heavier restrictions on semi automatic firearms. As part of these, a 'buy back' scheme took place which saw NZ$200 million of government funds go to prohibited firearm owners.
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