We are reforming firearms law and regulation to provide for greater protection of public safety and simplify regulatory requirements to improve compliance.
From 13 January to 28 February, we are inviting public submissions to help guide the rewrite of the Arms Act 1983. Learn more about how you can share your views.
Public consultation on the Arms Act rewrite
The firearms reform programme will deliver a firearms system that:
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 made a commitment in the Coalition Agreement between the National Party and the ACT Party to reform the firearms system in this Parliamentary term.
The Coalition Agreement between the National Party and the ACT Party committed to making changes to several parts of the firearms 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.
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 system. The Firearms Prohibition Orders Legislation Amendment Act 2024 was passed in September 2024 and the law will come into effect in March 2025.
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.
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.
This will involve rewriting the Arms Act to ensure it provides for greater protection of public safety, reflects best practice, and is fit for purpose.
From 13 January to 28 February, we are inviting public submissions to assist us with the Arms Act rewrite. We want to hear your thoughts on what works, what doesn't, and what needs to change.
We have developed a discussion document to assist with your submission.
The document divides the Act into seven key themes and seeks your views on key areas within each theme. It includes a glossary to clarify technical terms.
You are not required to respond to every theme or question. You are welcome to provide feedback on aspects of the firearms system not covered in the document or suggest broader improvements to the firearms system.
We have also created a summary version of the discussion document that is shorter, less technical and available in English, Arabic, Bengali, Somali, and Urdu languages. We will update this page soon with accessible formats of the summary versions, including Easy Read, New Zealand Sign Language, large print, e-braille, and audio.
Find out more about how we use your personal information on our privacy page.
Arms Act rewrite public consultation privacy information
You can make your submission through:
Firearms Policy
Ministry of Justice – National Office
DX SX10088
Wellington
We have developed this form to help you provide information for your submission on the Arms Act rewrite. If you are making a submission by email, please save it as a copy and attach it to your email. If you are making a submission by post, please print it out and include it with your submission. If you are making a submission through Citizen Space, you can add this information directly online.
Arms Act rewrite submission demographic information form [PDF, 183 KB]
Collecting demographic information helps us better understand the collective feedback we receive. You do not have to use this form and providing personal details is optional. Your submission will be considered equally whether or not you provide this information.
We have created some resources about the Arms Act rewrite public consultation for communities.
Your submission will help the Government understand where the Act is and isn’t working. Your thoughts and ideas will feed into an analysis process. You will have an opportunity to provide further feedback on specific policy proposals when the bill goes through the Select Committee process. This is expected to occur in late 2025.
The rewrite of the Act will look wider than just the parts of the Act that were changed following the Christchurch mosque attacks.
The Firearms Safety Authority (FSA) is the current firearms regulator. You are welcome to include your thoughts about the purpose and function of the FSA and its interaction with wider Police functions. However, this consultation will not consider the transfer of the FSA or which department it will operate under.
No, the public consultation will only look at the rewrite of the Arms Act and the related Arms Regulations 1992. The following aspects of firearm reform are not in scope for this public consultation because they either relate to other legislation or have been or are being progressed through other phases of the firearms reform programme:
The Government has committed to passing a bill by the end of this Parliamentary term in 2026. Once the bill has passed, the Government will determine when the changes will take effect.
Earlier this year, changes to improve compliance with the Arms Act were introduced in the Arms (Shooting Clubs, Shooting Ranges and Other Matters) Amendment Bill. This Bill intends to improve public safety outcomes by simplifying the regulatory requirements for non-pistol shooting clubs and ranges and changing some of the inspection requirements.
The public had an opportunity to make submissions during the select committee stage of the bill. The bill is being progressed through the Justice Committee. You are welcome to provide further feedback on these changes through the public consultation about the Arms Act rewrite.
The Coalition Agreement between the National Party and the ACT Party agrees that the FSA be transferred to another department. This work is being considered by the Ministry of Justice.
The Firearms Registry is not included in the public consultation on the Arms Act. The question of whether the Registry is effectively improving public safety is currently being considered by the Ministry of Justice as part of the broader firearms reform programme.
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.
Controls imposed by the firearms system should:
Recognising the wide public interest and diversity of views about how firearms are controlled, our approach to reform will:
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:
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) (external link)
Please contact us if you want to know more about our firearms reform work. You can email us at firearms@justice.govt.nz
Cabinet and Ministerial advice setting out the firearms reform programme [PDF, 1.9 MB]
Firearms Prohibition Orders Legislation Amendment Act 2024(external link)
Tranche 1 of Cabinet and Ministerial advice on changes to clubs and ranges regulations [PDF, 13 MB]
Tranche 2 of Cabinet and Ministerial advice on changes to clubs and ranges regulations [PDF, 3.8 MB]
Tranche 3 of Cabinet and Ministerial advice on changes to clubs and ranges regulations [PDF, 1.3 MB]
Arms (Shooting Clubs, Shooting Ranges, and Other Matters) Amendment Bill(external link)
Cabinet and Ministerial advice on Firearms Registry Review - Terms of Reference [PDF, 3.5 MB]
Consultation on Arms Act rewrite to begin (external link)
Arms Regulations 1992(external link)
Arms (Prohibited Ammunition Order) 2019(external link)
Arms (Prohibited Magazine) Order 2019(external link)
Arms (Military Style Semi-automatic Firearms–Pistol Grips) Order 2013(external link)
Arms (Restricted Weapons and Specially Dangerous Airguns) Order 1984(external link)
New Zealand Firearms Safety Authority – Te Tari Pūreke(external link)
History of firearms regulation in New Zealand(external link) (New Zealand Police website)
Changes to the firearms laws since 2019(external link) (FSA website)
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