Govt to reopen debate on semi-automatic gun ban

The Government will consider unwinding the ban on semi-automatic firearms for competitive shooters as it produces a new Arms Act.

Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee has confirmed she believes there is “some merit” in allowing competitive shooters to possess semi-automatic firearms that were largely banned from public use after the Christchurch mosque terror attacks in 2019.

She said this partial opening up of the ban on most semi-automatic firearms – other than for pest control and collection (if the firearm is kept in an inoperable state) – should be part of the public discussion as the Government produces the new act, which was one of the conditions of the NationalACT coalition agreement.

“One of the things that did not happen [in 2019] is a complete ban of semi automatics. They are still in the country, they are still here for legitimate use, and under the proposal that ACT had pre-election we actually talked about changing the licensing system ... so that’s all up for discussion.“

A ban of semi-automatic firearms in the immediate aftermath of the Christchurch terror attack was broadly supported. In Parliament, all but McKee’s ACT Party backed the ban, though the National Party has said the ban on sport shooters “went too far”.

Strong opposition to any attempt to broaden access to semi-automatic firearms can be expected, from police in particular. But in response firearms organisations insist gun club members can be trusted to safely possess the firearms.

Labour Party justice spokesperson Duncan Webb, who is also the MP for Christchurch Central, said any expansion of access to such “weapons” would be “the thin edge of the wedge”. “I’m disappointed. I think we had a national consensus on that [ban]. We’ve seen what semi-automatic rifles can do in the wrong hands. I don’t agree that the bid there's some kind of reason that people should have semi automatic weapons even for sporting purposes.

“The more groups of people that are permitted to use them, the more likely it is they're going to fall into the wrong hands.”

McKee, a sport shooter herself and former spokesperson for firearm lobby group Council for Licenced Firearm Owners (COLFO), said the Government wanted to produce new firearms law that New Zealanders felt comfortable with.

“That means having a discussion about all things that may be placed on the table.”

The policy work writing a new Arms

Act was under way, among other firearms reforms such as reviewing the firearms registry, and taking responsibility for firearms regulation away from police, giving it to the Ministry of Justice. McKee expected the reform programme would be completed within three years.

Sporting Shooters Association of NZ (SSANZ) president Thomas Hemphill said his organisation believed people could safely possess firearms for target shooting, and not for hunting, as was already the case for pest controllers and collectors.

The Federation of Islamic Associations NZ (FIANZ) opposed any change to the ban and questioned claims that New Zealand’s sport shooting achievement had been damaged.