In a significant shift in firearms policy, the New Zealand government has announced sweeping reforms aimed at restructuring the regulation of gun ownership. Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee revealed on Tuesday that uniformed police officers will no longer be involved in the Firearms Safety Authority (FSA), a move designed to ease tensions between the regulator and gun owners. This decision follows years of strained relations, exacerbated by the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings, where a white supremacist legally amassed semiautomatic weapons before killing 51 people. The FSA, established in 2022, will now report directly to the government instead of the New Zealand Police, though it will retain access to law enforcement databases. McKee emphasized the need to rebuild trust within the firearms community, which has felt unfairly scrutinized since the tragedy. The reforms also include extending license renewal periods, allowing more flexible storage options, and introducing a ‘red flag’ system for information sharing among agencies. However, the near-total ban on semiautomatic firearms, enacted after the Christchurch attack, remains intact. McKee’s proposals, which aim to simplify regulations for law-abiding gun owners, are expected to be introduced to Parliament by the end of 2024 and passed by mid-2026. Gun owners have cautiously welcomed the changes, though some expressed disappointment over the lack of clarity on eligibility criteria for firearm ownership.
New Zealand will remove police from gun licensing but near-total semiautomatics ban to remain
