After the Aramoana massacre in November 1990 , John Banks , the Minister for Police , announced that the government would ban what he and others described as " Rambo-style " weapons and substantially tighten gun laws generally . The law was eventually passed in 1992 and required written permits to order guns or ammunition by mail order , restricted ammunition sales to firearms licence holders , added photographs to firearms licences , required licence holders to have secure storage for firearms at their homes ( which would be inspected before a licence was issued ) , and , controversially , required all licence holders to be re-vetted for new licences , which would be valid for only 10 years
Aramoana massacre
Aramoana massacre
Gun laws in New Zealand