Government releases regulations for the first comprehensive Digital Firearms Registry

The government has released the Regulations for implementing the first comprehensive digital Firearms Registry.

The regulations set out the information that firearms licence holders are required to provide starting June 24. Firearms license holders will have up to five years to register all the firearms and relevant items they possess in the new registry online through the MyFirearms portal on the Te Tari Pūreke - Firearms Safety Authority website. License holders will not be charged any fee for registering their firearms.

In some circumstances, license holders will need to provide information for the registry in a shorter timeframe than five years. For example, if they buy a firearm, that activity will require them to register that firearm as soon as is practicable, within 30 days, and to register all remaining arms items in their possession within that same 30 days. If firearms listed in the registry are stolen and used for unlawful or criminal purposes, the police could easily trace the origin of firearms recovered from crime scenes and offenders.

"This is another important step towards the registry and in New Zealand's firearms reforms that are about making our communities safe," Police Minister Ginny Andersen said. "As a government, we have continued to show our support for police in keeping firearms out of the hands of criminals while enabling the safe use of firearms in our communities for legitimate purposes."

Public consultation on the Arms Amendment Regulations occurred late last year, with the final regulations published on May 11. The regulations clarify the requirement for firearms licence holders and dealers to provide information for the registry and specify when and how the information would be provided. The public feedback provided helped to fine-tune the regulations. Several changes to the original proposals have been made to reduce the compliance burden on license holders.

Andersen said that the registry is another important step towards the country's firearms reforms to make communities safer. "With responsible firearms licence holders doing the right thing and filling in the registry, it will make it easier to identify the small group in the community who might be in possession of firearms for unlawful or criminal purposes."