Proactive release of papers regarding the Arms Amendment Regulations 2023: Firearms Registry

Proactive release of papers regarding the Arms Amendment Regulations 2023: Firearms Registry

Date Published: 
September 2023

In 2020, a number of changes were made to the Arms Act 1983 through the Arms Legislation Act 2020 to strengthen the control and regulation of firearms in New Zealand. On 24 June 2023 changes to the Arms Act will come into force that outline the obligation for the Commissioner of Police to operate a registry and the content of the Registry.

To support the changes to the Arms Act, Police worked with the firearms community to develop proposed regulations. From August to October 2022, Police released a discussion document relating to these proposed regulations. The Registry Regulations were published on 11 May 2023 and will come into force on 24 June 2023 and are available on the New Zealand Legislation website.

Papers relating to the discussion document on the Registry Regulations have previously been published.

The following papers being released relate to the policy process undertaken to develop the regulations.

April 2023

May 2023

July 2023

On 28 July 2023, Te Tari Pūreke – Firearms Safety Authority released a cabinet paper about an amendment to the Arms Amendment Act Regulations 2023 (Registry Regulations).

There was an omission in the Arms Amendment Regulations 2023 (Registry Regulations), which meant certain types of low-risk firearms (such as flare guns, underwater spear guns or tranquiliser guns) that can be owned by anyone without a firearms licence had been inadvertently captured by the regulations. This was remedied on 28 July 2023. The Cabinet report has been attached.