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Arms Act 1983

Licensed dealers - Licensed dealers

5: Dealers to be licensed

You could also call this:

"Selling or fixing guns and some other arms items requires a special licence"

Illustration for Arms Act 1983

You need a dealer's licence to sell, hire, or lend certain arms items. You also need a licence to repair or modify these items. A dealer's licence is required for individuals and companies. You do not need a dealer's licence for some activities, like commercial hunting guide services or selling firearms to club members with approval. A dealer's licence cannot be issued for certain items, such as anti-personnel mines. If you break this rule without a good reason, you can be fined or imprisoned. You must follow these rules when working with arms items, and companies must have a senior manager with a dealer's licence to carry out these activities. The rules apply to different types of arms items and activities, such as manufacturing or displaying them. You can find more information about permitted supply in section 4A(3).

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM72687.

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5A: Application for dealer’s licence, or

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Part 2Licensed dealers
Licensed dealers

5Dealers to be licensed

  1. A person other than a body corporate must not carry on any of the following activities in relation to a class of arms items without a dealer’s licence that authorises the person to carry on the activity in relation to that class of arms items:

  2. the business of selling, hiring, lending, or otherwise supplying a class of arms items:
    1. possessing, for the purposes of an auction, a class of arms items:
      1. the business of repairing or modifying a class of arms items:
        1. displaying, as the director or curator of a bona fide museum, a class of arms items:
          1. the business of manufacturing for sale, hire, lending, or other supply a class of arms items:
            1. manufacturing (for the purposes of permitted supply (as defined in section 4A(3))) prohibited parts and using prohibited items to test and demonstrate those prohibited parts.

              1. A body corporate must not carry on any of the activities specified in subsection (1) in relation to a class of arms items unless a senior manager of the body corporate has a dealer’s licence authorising the senior manager to carry on the activities in relation to the class of arms items on behalf of the body corporate.

              2. Despite subsections (1) and (2), a dealer’s licence is not required for the following activities:

              3. commercial hunting guide services by a firearms licence holder who during the provision of those services supplies no more than 6 firearms to 1 or more clients:
                1. the selling, hiring, lending, or supplying of firearms by a member of a shooting club, if the member—
                  1. sells, hires, lends, or supplies firearms to a club member, or on club premises, with the approval of the management committee of the club or a majority vote of club members; and
                    1. the revenue from the sale, hire, lending, or supply of the firearms is used for the benefit of the club.

                    2. A dealer’s licence may not be issued for the carrying on of any of the activities specified in subsection (1) in relation to—

                    3. anti-personnel mines; or
                      1. cluster munitions.

                        1. A person commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months, or to a fine not exceeding $10,000, if the person, without reasonable excuse, contravenes this section.

                        Notes
                        • Section 5: replaced, on , by section 12 of the Arms Legislation Act 2020 (2020 No 23).