U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- New Zealand’s beleaguered gun owners are bracing for a second round of gun confiscations following a raft of new gun control measures enacted last summer that are set to take effect on February 1. Kiwi shooters will have until August 1 to turn over their prohibited items or face severe criminal penalties.
On March 21, 2019, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern targeted New Zealand’s law-abiding gun owners by unilaterally halting the sale of semi-automatic centerfire firearms that utilize detachable magazines to normal gun owners. The Arms Amendment Act 2019 was passed into law on April 10 and received royal assent the following day. The key provision of the legislation outlawed possession of all semi-automatic centerfire rifles and their magazines.
The legislation also prohibited pump-action and semi-automatic shotguns with detachable magazines or a non-detachable magazine capable of accepting more than 5 rounds and any .22 caliber and lower rimfire semi-automatic rifle “that has a magazine, whether or not detachable or otherwise externally fed, that is capable of holding no more than 10 cartridges.”
In order to enforce the ban, the legislation provided for a firearm confiscation scheme. As with Australia’s 1996 national firearms “buyback” program, law-abiding New Zealand gun owners were forced to turn their lawfully-acquired property over to the government for a set amount of compensation. The program ran from June 20-December 20, 2019. Compliant gun owners were treated to poor compensation and a breach of their personal data.
At the end of the confiscation program, the government had collected roughly 56,000 firearms. A June 2019 report from consulting firm KPMG had estimated that there were as many as 173,000 newly-prohibited firearms in the country. New Zealand gun rights group, the Council of Licensed Firearms Owners estimated that 170,000 prohibited firearms were still in the hands of Kiwis after the confiscation program.
Proving that no gun control measure is ever enough for the anti-gun zealots, Ardern’s Labour government was back at work restricting firearms in June with the Arms Legislation Act 2020.
The New Zealand Police summarized the newly prohibited firearms as follows:
- Semi-automatic pistols (semi-automatic firearms less than 762mm in overall length) that are not “small” semi-automatic pistols.
- Note: a “small semi-automatic pistol” (excluded) is a semi-automatic pistol that:
- has an overall length of 400 millimeters or less, excluding any silencer, pistol carbine conversion kit, or other muzzle-fitting attachment; and
- has a barrel length of 101 millimeters or more; and
- is capable of firing specified ammunition (ammunition used on pistol shooting ranges approved by the Commissioner) only at a muzzle velocity of 1,600 feet per second or less; and
- is suitable for shooting on a certified pistol range.
- Centrefire pump-action rifles that are capable of being used with a detachable magazine, or that have a non-detachable magazines (tubular or otherwise) that are capable of holding more than 10 cartridges commensurate with that firearm’s chamber size.
In addition to prohibiting new categories of firearm, the legislation cut the period for a first-time firearms license from 10 to 5 years. The legislation also mandated that police notify a firearm license holder’s physician of the individual’s status as a license holder and required physicians to report to the police on the health conditions of the license holder. Moreover, the Act added new restrictions on the possession and sale of ammunition.
In order to facilitate the government’s future firearm confiscation efforts, the new law also mandated firearms registration. The firearms registry is set to be developed over the next three years.
According to Labour MP Hon Poto Williams, “This year’s buy-back will look very different to the one in 2019 as there will be no large-scale collection events,” noting, “Police will be managing the smaller buy-back through appointments at Police stations.” Compliant gun owners have been told to contact [email protected] to arrange an appointment to forfeit their firearms.
The New Zealand government has released a list of prices that the government will pay for the confiscated firearms. The compensation values vary widely based on the condition of the firearm. Presumably, the government will determine the condition of a relinquished gun.
Those found in possession of a prohibited firearm face up to five years imprisonment.
In criticizing what he called “gun buyback 2.0,” New Zealand’s National Party Police Spokesman Simeon Brown stated, “The first gun buyback was merely a marketing exercise. After spending $103 million on the scheme, the Government couldn’t even confirm whether it had made New Zealand safer or if it had collected all prohibited firearms,” adding, “That’s because most law-abiding New Zealanders handed in their now-prohibited firearms, but gangs and criminals, those who pose the greatest risk to our safety, did not.”
U.S. gun owners should pay careful attention to New Zealand. The Labour government’s second assault on gun owners in as many years is further proof that gun control advocates will not be satisfied short of total civilian disarmament.
About NRA-ILA:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess, and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org
Once again, the reality of gun control;
Never in the entire history of gun control did any law or regulation ever stop not even ONE bad-man from getting a gun, and using it.
“Gun control” does not now and has never had anything to do with crime or criminals. Frankly, the Left doesn’t give a rat’s behind about crime or criminals. The goal of gun control is, and has always been, the disarmament of the civilian population so they will not represent a threat to the government when the Left creates the dictatorship they have been working toward for more than half a century and are now in the process of consolidating thanks to the stolen election.
Even in the absence of guns, bad men will find ways to do bad things.
jukk – it is ‘almost’ as if the anti-gun crowd believes that there was no crime or mass executions until guns were invented. Yes they really are that delusional.
Always a good idea to remind them:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Land_fire
Don’t think for a moment that it can’t happen here. Biden already is establishing his Socialist Dictatorship with all of his executive orders and in effect making laws unconstitutionally.
You know the sickest part of this is biden has no clue what he’s even signing.
I doubt Joe even read any of These 37 or so executive orders. He surely didn’t write them.
Hey China, NZ is a plum ripe for the picking. No need to build new islands, just take over this one.
That last paragraph certainly is true. Just as we’ve all been saying.
New Zealand is a graphic example of what happens when you allow a registration scheme. They quickly figured out that confiscation wasn’t working since they did not have an effective registration. They even said as much. Our anti-rights people listened – which is why they’ve shifted so hard to requiring “harmless” registration. Sad part is how many non-gun people fall for it.
Finn – even sadder are the ‘gun people’ who have already accepted such schemes. Add in those who will go along to get along in the future – and will gladly dime out their friends and even family members and we are in for a rough time. Those folks are likely firmly in the camp of the ‘if I ain’t doing anything wrong they will leave me alone’ crowd. They have NOT figured out that compliance with illegal rules is giving tacit approval to those rules. I intentionally used rules instead of laws since those rules are usually enacted by… Read more »
Americans, keep in mind, until the terrible Christchurch massacre in N.Z., Kiwis enjoyed gun rights almost as well as most Americans.
But for the knee jerk reaction of politicians, ignoring the rights of the law-abiding (isn’t it always the case?), New Zealand would have remained a bastion of firearms and hunting freedom down under. Yes, it can happen here! And the new directives for N.Z. citizens are indeed the dreams of our own gun grabbers. If given the opportunity, they would have no qualms imposing them on us.
Respectful correction: “…Is happening here…” Please contact you congress-cretins and push back Emails, phone calls, townhalls and visits to their offices (offered “virtually” – via computer video conference – by some).
I plead ignorance of the foundational documents of New Zealand. Since you wrote “ ignoring the rights of the law-abiding ” are you saying that they had/have the same rights in their founding documents that we have in ours in regards to “arms”? Inquiring minds want to know.
I think Americans are VERY well aware that every new “gun control” law is just one more push down a step on the ONE WAY staircase going down to TOTAL CITIZEN DISARMAMENT!
The NY SAFE Act has a 4% compliance rate.
What are the odds that Biden will get a higher percentage Nationally?
NY basically only enforced the SAFE Act against:
If Biden orders the BATFE (remember everyone, the BATFE reports through the Attorney General to the President, just like when Trump was president), to crack down, they will crack down with enthusiasm.
Do you know anyone willing to go on a confiscation picnic? If it happens a number of folks will be pushing up daisies and it won’t just be gun owners.
The eagerness to start something over nothing defies reason.
Tens of millions of people minding their own business and they are going to kick that hornet’s nest.
I keep seeing stories about how the recent raid resulting in two dead FBI agents plus two injured made it the deadliest day in FBI history. Memory suggests otherwise – but media and our beloved federal government is quite worked up over the event. Anybody else think they don’t realize the confiscation attempts they’re pushing for would make that a quiet day for decades? How much will they wail when typical daily death counts are in triple digits? If I had any faith in their intelligence, I’d think they wanted to re-enact the French Revolution. Maybe it’s time to invest… Read more »
Good points. Preps refuse for disposal as well.
no executive order can lawfully disarm anyone. That is matter for the legislature only. Not to say they can’t do it and won’t try that’s their job, not Biden’s. Or harriss.
Bump stock ban was executive action. Harris, and I believe biden, have stated that they will declare semi-auto rifles and magazines capable too many rounds (over one?) to be machine guns. Awful as it is, we won’t be doing away with NFA fast enough to protect ourselves that way.
Much of Congress is falling over themselves to get ahead of biden’s Gun grabbing. By “get ahead” I mean they are striving to be even more extreme. Witness HR127 (I think) introduced by houston’s SJL.
Dark days ahead and they keep pushing harder to inspire resistance.
NZ government is the dumbest government on the face of the earth!
Remember, we have the best Government money can buy.
Who in their right mind would make an appointment at a police station to turn in an “illegally owned” weapon for pennies on the dollar and face a felony charge? Come on, man!