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Arms Bill

Further offences and firearms prohibition orders - Offences relating to carrying, possessing, or presenting arms items

254: Carrying pistol, restricted firearm, restricted magazine, or restricted weapon without authority

You could also call this:

"Carrying a gun without permission is against the law"

Illustration for Arms Bill

If you carry a pistol, restricted firearm, restricted magazine, or restricted weapon outside your home, you must follow the conditions on your firearms licence. You can only carry these items if your licence says you can. The person in charge can take away this permission at any time. If you break this rule without a good reason, you can get in trouble. You might go to prison for up to 2 years or have to pay a fine of up to $20,000. But you can defend yourself if you can prove you have a firearms licence and meet certain other conditions. You must prove you owned the firearm before 16 May 1969 and were registered as its owner. You must also prove the firearm is not too short and is not designed to be held and fired with one hand. This is a proposed change to the law, so it is not in effect yet.

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 It might be out of date or be missing some parts.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=LMS1533993.

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Topics:
Crime and justice > Police and safety
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253: Unlawfully carrying or possessing standard firearm, airgun, ammunition, or explosive in public place, or

"Carrying guns or explosives in public without a good reason is against the law"

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255: Carrying restricted firearm with criminal intent, or

"Carrying a gun to commit a crime is against the law"

Part 6Further offences and firearms prohibition orders
Offences relating to carrying, possessing, or presenting arms items

254Carrying pistol, restricted firearm, restricted magazine, or restricted weapon without authority

  1. A person must not carry a pistol, restricted firearm, restricted magazine, or restricted weapon in any place beyond the curtilage of their dwelling, except under and in accordance with the conditions endorsed on their firearms licence or visitor licence.

  2. Any such endorsement may be at any time revoked by the chief executive.

  3. A person commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years, or to a fine not exceeding $20,000, if the person, without reasonable excuse, contravenes subsection (1).

  4. It is a good defence to a prosecution for an offence against subsection (3) if the defendant proves—

  5. that they are the holder of a firearms licence; and
    1. that they have owned the firearm to which the charge relates since before 16 May 1969; and
      1. that, immediately before 16 May 1969, they were registered under section 9 of the Arms Act 1958 as the owner of that firearm; and
        1. that, although that firearm is less than 762 millimetres in length, it has not been reduced below that length since 15 May 1969 and is not designed or adapted to be held and fired with 1 hand.