New Zealand gun law changes to ease compliance, reform regulator
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The new legislation increases penalties for more than 60 law breaches and introduces new offences to prevent weapons entering the black market.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WELLINGTON – New Zealand plans to introduce new gun laws that ease compliance for licensed owners while taking more steps to prevent criminals accessing firearms and retaining restrictions on military-style weapons.
The new legislation increases penalties for more than 60 law breaches and introduces new offences to prevent weapons entering the black market, Associate Justice Minister Nicola McKee said on Nov 11 in Wellington.
It also reforms the Firearms Safety Authority into an independent regulator, no longer reporting to the Police Commissioner.
New Zealand gun laws were overhauled after a 2019 terror attack on two Christchurch mosques
Then Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s response – banning military style weapons and introducing a firearms register – won international plaudits while drawing criticism at home, including from Ms McKee, who was then spokeswoman for the Council of Licensed Firearm Owners.
The laws that followed the attack “were rushed, confused and unfair and penalised the wrong people”, Ms McKee said on Nov 11.
The current law “is a complex, confusing and bureaucratic patchwork that makes it difficult for licensed firearm owners to comply while not adequately keeping the public safe”.
The new law will not relax tight restrictions on military style semi-automatic weapons, with only pest controllers and collectors able to own them.
It will make gang membership an automatic disqualifying factor for holding a firearms licence, and introduces new offences such as possessing a firearm with identification markings intentionally removed, Ms McKee said.
It also addresses the illegal manufacture of 3D-printed firearms and parts.
The regulator will be headed by an independent chief executive reporting to the responsible minister and overseen by the Ministry of Justice, Ms McKee said.
The authority will remain hosted by the police but there will be clear separation between the regulator and the police, she said.
Police will still have access to information they need such as whether a person they are dealing with holds a firearms licence or if firearms are stored at a specific address, she said. BLOOMBERG
