Five Million Voices

Should the regulatory requirements for non-pistol shooting clubs and ranges be simplified, including replacing approval and certification with an enrolment system and setting fixed inspection timing?

This bill amends the Arms Act 1983 to separate the regulation of pistol and non-pistol shooting clubs and ranges, replacing the existing approval and certification systems for non-pistol clubs and ranges with a new enrolment system, and changing inspection requirements. It also completes the transfer of the Act's administration from Police to the justice portfolio.

⚡ Taken under urgency

Parliament advanced this bill under urgency (third reading) — moving it through faster than usual, with less time than normal for public submissions.

MPs’ arguments for and against the bill

Why support it
  • Supporters argued that the 2020 rules placed an unnecessary and repetitive regulatory burden on mostly volunteer-run clubs and ranges, going beyond what is needed for public safety and risking closures.
  • Supporters said keeping clubs and ranges open provides safe, controlled environments for shooting and sighting rifles, reducing the risk of people using unsuitable areas like riverbanks.
  • Supporters argued the new enrolment system and fixed five-year inspection timing give operators certainty and reduce time and costs, while the regulator retains monitoring and enforcement powers and can inspect after events affecting safety.
Why oppose it
  • Opponents argued the bill weakens oversight of shooting clubs and ranges, the kind of unregulated setting the royal commission found the Christchurch terrorist used to train, and rolls back reforms passed after 15 March 2019.
  • Opponents said the changes reflect a political deal rather than evidence, and that Police and the Police Association had reportedly urged the Minister to intervene.
  • Opponents raised concern that provisions transferring administrative control from the Minister of Police to the Associate Minister of Justice were being advanced before the review of the Firearms Safety Authority had been made public.

These are claims MPs made in Parliament’s debate — not verified facts.

Full bill summary & link to official bill page

This bill amends the Arms Act 1983 to simplify how non-pistol shooting clubs and ranges are regulated. It replaces the current approval and certification regime — introduced after the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks — with a lighter-touch enrolment system, and sets fixed timing for inspections. The aim is to cut compliance costs and administrative burden for clubs and ranges while keeping oversight of firearms use. It mainly affects recreational and sporting shooters, clubs, range operators and the firearms regulator.

The changes roll back part of the stricter arms regime enacted through the Arms Legislation Act 2020, reflecting a view that those rules were too onerous for law-abiding sporting shooters. Supporters argue enrolment is simpler and proportionate, easing pressure on volunteer-run clubs without compromising safety, since dangerous firearms remain tightly controlled. Critics counter that loosening oversight of clubs and ranges weakens hard-won post-Christchurch safeguards, could reduce scrutiny of who is using firearms and how, and risks putting convenience ahead of public safety.

See the Parliament.nz ↗ site for the full bill.

Oppose (No) Support (Yes)

Arms (Shooting Clubs, Shooting Ranges, and Other Matters) Amendment Bill · Third Reading, 25 Mar 2025
Parliament voted 68–55 — it passed.