Advocacy Alert: NZ Police - Firearms Registry Consultation | New Zealand Deerstalkers Association Inc

Consultation on Firearms Registry

1 September 2022

Consultation has begun on proposed regulations to support the new legislation for the Firearms Registry.

NZ Police are seeking feedback to shape the proposed regulations.

What is NZDA doing?

NZDA apposes the register as a policy.

We have been, and continue to sit in consultations, provide feedback and make submissions on behalf on NZDA members and the hunting and shooting community.

We are working hard to influence, and ensure that the outcome will be safe and secure.
NZDA is preparing a detailed submission and will continue to work directly with NZ Police to ensure we actually continue to have safe processes for members and the firearms community.

What can you do?

Tell people. Make a submission. Please, we urge all members to have their say on this via the submission process.

There will be no templates for this consultation, it is better to use your own words as it's more effective that way.

It is vital that licenced firearms owners are heard, seen and our combined voices respected by NZ Police, especially in an era where we are forced to fight for our right to hunt, and especially now when even access to safe ranges and shooting clubs becomes a fight in itself.

NZDA Policy on Firearms

NZDA supports a firearms regulation framework that protects law-abiding users and does not apply penalties or ‘red-tape’ costs to those owners and which guarantees efficiency and safety.

In respect to firearms, NZDA’s policies are:

To maintain the right of the people generally to own and bear firearms and to oppose any regulations which would unduly restrict such rights.
To support the principles of firearms registration of the user based on appropriate levels of qualification, and to oppose registration of individual firearms as a system which has been a proven failure.
To support firearms security measures which by their economy and effectiveness, will encourage purchase and use.
To oppose security measures which are designed as a financial penalty to discourage ownership of some category firearms.
To support the penalising of intimidation by use of firearms.
To safeguard property both private and public and to show due respect for the rights and safety of others.
To promote international and Olympic style competition shooting and the grading and participation in such competitions.

More Information:

The scope of the consultation includes:

The specified arms items and the details on those items to be recorded in the Firearms Registry.
The obligations of licence holders and those in possession of specified arms items to provide information to Police for inclusion in the Firearms Registry.
Associated provisions that support these changes, including a final date by which licence holders must have registered all their specified arms items.

Please note:

Consultation does not include the establishment of the Firearms Registry, access to the Registry by other Agencies, or offences related to the Registry, all of which are already set out in the Act.
The consultation will run from the 31 August 2022 and closes on 12 October 2022.
The new regulations will be gazetted by the beginning of May 2023. Further communications will be released at this time.