This page is about a bill. That means that it's not the law yet, but some people want it to be the law. It could change quickly, and some of the information is just a draft.

Arms Bill

Preliminary provisions - Purposes and principles

4: Principles

You could also call this:

"Key Ideas for Dealing with Arms Safely"

This proposed law says the rules about arms will be based on some key ideas. You need to know that having and using arms is seen as a special right. When people deal with arms, they must think about keeping themselves and others safe.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS1533361.

This page was last updated on 8 December 2025 — View changes

Topics:

Crime and justice > Police and safety

3: Purposes of this Act, or

"What this law is trying to achieve"

5: Interpretation, or

"What words in the Arms Bill mean"

Part 1Preliminary provisions
Purposes and principles

4Principles

The arms regulatory regime established by this Act to achieve the purposes specified in section 3 reflects the following principles:
that the possession and use of arms is a privilege; and
that anyone doing anything involving arms must act in the interests of personal and public safety.