Never Enough: New Zealand Government Pushes Even More Gun Control

On July 22, New Zealand’s Labour-led government announced a wide array of new gun control proposals. The move came amidst the island nation’s ongoing program to confiscate commonly-owned semi-automatic firearmsfrom law-abiding gun owners that will last through December 20. The government’s most recent attack on gun owners is likely to engender further civil disobedience to the firearm confiscation scheme.

In March, following a high-profile shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern moved to ban and confiscate several types of commonly-owned firearms. The “Arms (Prohibited Firearms, Magazines, and Parts) Amendment Regulations 2019” was enacted in early April and, according to a summary from the New Zealand Police, prohibits the following,

All semi-automatic firearms (including semi-automatic shotguns), but:

• Excluding rimfire rifles .22 calibre or less as long as they have a magazine (whether detachable or not) that holds 10 rounds or less; and
• Excluding semi-automatic shotguns that have a non-detachable, tubular magazine that holds 5 rounds or less.

Pump action shotguns that:

• Are capable of being used with a detachable magazine; or
• Have a non-detachable tubular magazine capable of holding more than 5 rounds.