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Arms Bill

Further offences and firearms prohibition orders - Offences relating to selling or supplying firearms, etc

265: Trafficking arms items or ammunition

You could also call this:

"Moving guns or ammo in or out of NZ without permission is against the law"

Illustration for Arms Bill

If you move arms items or ammunition into or out of New Zealand without permission, you could be committing an offence. You also commit an offence if you intentionally send or transfer these items through New Zealand to another country without lawful authority. This includes doing anything to help move these items without permission. If you agree to do any of these things, you could also be committing an offence. You could go to prison for up to 10 years if you are convicted of these offences. Any arms items or ammunition that are brought into New Zealand in a way that breaks this law will be treated as restricted goods under the Customs and Excise Act 2018, except for sections 388 and 389 of that Act. If you try to make a contract or arrangement to move these items without permission, it will still be considered a contract or arrangement. You must follow the rules when moving arms items or ammunition, or you could face serious consequences. The proposed law change aims to prevent the illegal movement of arms items and ammunition in and out of New Zealand.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS1534009.

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Crime and justice > Criminal lawCrime and justice > Police and safetyGovernment and voting > Emergency management
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264: Purchasing arms items intending to unlawfully sell or supply, or

"Buying guns to sell or give to someone who can't have them is against the law"

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266: Manufacturing arms items without authority, or

"Making guns or gun parts without permission is against the law"

Part 6Further offences and firearms prohibition orders
Offences relating to selling or supplying firearms, etc

265Trafficking arms items or ammunition

  1. A person commits an offence if the person intentionally—

  2. moves, delivers, sends, or transfers any arms item or ammunition into New Zealand without lawful authority, or if the arms item is not marked in accordance with this Act and any regulations, whether or not the person intends to export the item from New Zealand; or
    1. moves, delivers, sends, or transfers any arms item or ammunition from New Zealand to another country without lawful authority, or if the item is not marked in accordance with this Act and regulations; or
      1. moves, delivers, sends, or transfers any arms item or ammunition through or across New Zealand to another country without lawful authority; or
        1. moves, delivers, sends, or transfers any arms item or ammunition into another country from or through New Zealand without lawful authority.

          1. A person commits an offence if the person intentionally enters into a contract or an arrangement, or arrives at an understanding, to do anything described in subsection (1).

          2. A person who commits an offence against subsection (1) or (2) is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years.

          3. For the purposes of this section, anything that purports to be, or is intended to have the effect of, a contract, an arrangement, or an understanding must be treated as a contract, an arrangement, or an understanding (as the case may be).

          4. Any arms item or ammunition that is imported within the meaning of the Customs and Excise Act 2018 and that arrives in New Zealand in any manner in contravention of this section must be treated, on importation, as a restricted good for the purposes of the Customs and Excise Act 2018, except sections 388 and 389 of that Act.