Arms Act 1983

Miscellaneous provisions - Other miscellaneous provisions

66C: Powers of Police to require surrender of airguns or antique firearms

You could also call this:

"Police can ask you to hand over airguns or old firearms if they think you're not a suitable person to have them"

You can have an airgun or antique firearm if you do not have a firearms licence, but a Police officer can ask you to give it to them. The Police officer can only ask you to give them the airgun or antique firearm if they think you are not a suitable person to have it. You must give the airgun or antique firearm to the Police if they ask you to. You have to give the airgun or antique firearm to the Police when they ask for it, and there are rules about how this works, which are explained in section 28(4) to (7). If you do not think you should have to give the airgun or antique firearm to the Police, you can appeal, using section 62B. If you do not give the airgun or antique firearm to the Police when they ask for it, you can get in trouble. If you do not give the airgun or antique firearm to the Police, you might have to go to prison for up to 6 months, or pay a fine of up to $10,000. You will only get in trouble if you do not have a good reason for not giving the airgun or antique firearm to the Police. The Police will decide if your reason is good enough.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS368846.

This page was last updated on 27 January 2026 — View changes

Topics:

Crime and justice > Police and safety

66B: Person in possession of firearm, etc, must give identifying information to Police, or

"If you have a gun, you must tell the Police your name, address, and birthday if they ask."

66D: Obligations of owner or operator of craft temporarily visiting New Zealand and carrying firearms, etc, or

"Rules for visiting boats with guns in New Zealand"

Part 9Miscellaneous provisions
Other miscellaneous provisions

66CPowers of Police to require surrender of airguns or antique firearms

If any person who is not the holder of a firearms licence or a dealer’s licence is in possession of an airgun or antique firearm, a commissioned officer of Police may, by notice in writing served on that person, require that person to surrender the airgun or antique firearm to a member of the Police, if that officer is of the opinion that that person is not a fit and proper person to be in possession of the airgun or antique firearm.
If any person is served with a notice under subsection (1), that person must, on demand, deliver the airgun or antique firearm to a member of the Police, and section 28(4) to (7) applies accordingly with all necessary modifications.
Any person required under this section to surrender an airgun or antique firearm may appeal under section 62B against the requirement, and that section applies accordingly with all necessary modifications.
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, fails to comply with a notice given to them under subsection (1).

Notes

Section 66C: inserted, on 25 June 2020, by section 95 of the Arms Legislation Act 2020 (2020 No 23).