The Weapons (Prohibited Ammunition) Ordinance 2019 means that as of Friday, June 21, certain types of ammunition such as tracers and tank penetration are illegal and punishable by up to 2 years` imprisonment. As far as I know, these types of ammunition have never been used in a crime in New Zealand. While this won`t affect shooters much (trackers, while fun to shoot, aren`t very useful in a civilian environment and don`t require a lot of tank drilling), it will affect ammunition collectors, most of whom don`t even have a gun for the now-banned ammunition. Good job New Zealand government! The National Shooters Association is a national association of civilian gun owners that was at the forefront of a 2009 court challenge to unauthorized police interference in gun regulation. Its executive branch consists largely of former members of the Practical Shooting Institute, a predecessor group that filed similar lawsuits against police interference in 1990. Arms dealers and stores are not required to keep ammunition out of the public. While many stores leave ammunition behind the counter, others leave boxes of cartridges on tables for customers to explore. Firearms must be locked so that they cannot be easily stolen, but ammunition cannot be stolen. A legal mandate should require all ammunition to be locked up with a period of six months to a year to give traders time to build the necessary storage rooms. The government decided in August 1996 to commission an independent report, headed by former judge Sir Thomas Thorp. His report was published in June 1997 and was the most comprehensive and detailed overview of 150 years of gun control in New Zealand. [39] Thorp`s report examined how New Zealand arrived at its existing legislation, underlying principles, effectiveness compared to other countries, administration and costs.
Thorp gave many detailed recommendations in 28 different areas. Its recommendations called for many new restrictions on the legal possession of firearms, including the creation of a separate firearms agency to review the licensing process, limit the sale of ammunition to firearms in possession, prohibit various characteristics of firearms, renew licences every three years to track address changes, and register all firearms. The recommendation of a registry was particularly unpopular with gun owners. The New Zealand Firearms Licence restricts the grounds on which a person is allowed to carry a weapon. The minimum legal age for possession of a weapon is 16 years. The Thorp investigation revealed that no reliable information was available to answer basic questions about the number and type of firearms owned, used, traded, sold, lost, stolen or destroyed by the military; persons who legally or unlawfully possess and use firearms; the surrender, revocation or refusal of a firearms licence; Renewal of compliance renewal; firearms offences; and the cost of licensing and enforcement. [94] John Herbert, owner of the New Zealand Repeating Arms online store, said tracer projectiles and piercing bullets were popular in shooting ranges. The mufflers, better known as silencers, are fully available in New Zealand. Although some claim that this is necessary safety equipment, their criminal uses outweigh the need for legitimate use, especially since hearing protection is much more effective at preventing hearing damage. The licence holder, who bought firearms, reduced them to the size of a pistol and sold them, also equipped a lot of silencers with them. Shooting in built-up areas where noise reduction might be necessary is already illegal and any shooter using firearms near people should see that they are responsible for their safety, including providing hearing protection. Commercial hunters and pest control are the only group with legitimate needs, so the restriction of suppressors to category E should be included in the new legislation.
The law also created the new category of “military-style semi-automatic weapon,” which, like the federal assault weapons ban two years later in the United States, primarily covered the appearance rather than functionality of the weapons.