How strict are gun laws in New Zealand?
Restrictive
Handguns are tightly regulated and require membership in a pistol club.
New Zealand is one of 45 countries classified “Restrictive” for civilian gun ownership — 40% of the 113 with data. (Also searched as firearm laws.)
Source
- Last checked
- 7 July 2026
- How it was classified
- Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.
Nearby countries
- Fiji
- Highly restrictive / banned All firearm licenses suspended since 2000, effectively banning civilian ownership.
- Vanuatu
- Licensed / moderate Vanuatu permits farming-related firearm use with licensing but restricts general ownership.
- Cook Islands
- Highly restrictive / banned Cook Islands has not issued new gun licenses since 1992, effectively banning new ownership.
- Australia
- Restrictive Gun laws are highly restrictive, with strict licensing and prohibition of certain firearm types.
- Papua New Guinea
- Highly restrictive / banned Cannabis cultivation is banned since 2017 with no new licenses issued.
- Nauru
- Highly restrictive / banned Nauru has a total ban on civilian firearm ownership.
Other laws in New Zealand
- Death Penalty
- Fully abolished
- School Corporal Punishment
- Banned
- Military Conscription
- No conscription
- Jury Trials
- Jury trials used
Every law in New Zealand → · How strict are gun laws around the world? →
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.