The Justice Committee is calling for submissions on the Arms Bill with a closing date of Monday, 16 February 2026 at 11.59pm.

The bill would repeal and replace the Arms Act 1983 with the aim of providing for greater protection of public safety, simplifying regulatory requirements, and improving compliance. The bill would achieve these objectives through four themes that are set out below.

1. Strengthening a culture of community safety and support

The bill would broaden the principles of the Arms Act to ensure that any person or organisation undertaking activities covered by the bill would act in the interests of personal, community, and public safety. It would introduce additional safeguards and reduce the compliance burdens on licence applicants and holders. The bill would also establish a Firearms Licensing Review Committee to increase transparency of licensing decisions.

2. Enabling legitimate possession and use of firearms by simplifying regulatory settings while maintaining safety standards

The main changes include replacing dealer’s licences with business licences, improving importing processes, introducing specialist licence classes for museum curators and employees, and updating endorsement settings for animal and biosecurity control and firearm collectors.

3. Ensuring compliance through education and enforcement

The bill seeks to seeks to clarify regulatory requirements and introduce additional graduated and proportionate enforcement tools. This includes introducing processes to bring unlawful firearms into lawful possession, establishing an infringement offence regime, and updating offences and penalties to ensure they are modern.

4. Maintaining public interest and safety

The bill would establish a new firearms regulatory agency, the regulator. This agency would operate independently from the New Zealand Police and would prioritise education and support as the first step in compliance, before enforcement.

Tell the Justice Committee what you think

Make a submission on the bill by midnight on 16 February 2025.

For more details about the bill:

• Read the full content of the bill
• Get more details about the bill
• What’s been said in Parliament about the bill?
   

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