The act contains provisions for the following : The '' ' Thorp report ' '' , or to give the report its formal title : '' ' Review of Firearms Control in New Zealand ' '' ( ) , was a '' Report of an Independent Inquiry Commissioned by the Minister of Police '' by former judge Thomas Thorp that was commissioned in July 1996 and reported back to the Minister in June 1997 . The inquiry was conducted contemporaneously with the official inquiries into the Dunblane massacre in Scotland and the Port Arthur massacre in Australia . The report made 28 broad recommendation statements , with some statements having up to 5 detailed recommendations . Among other things , the report recommended that the 1983 Act be completely rewritten in plain English , that firearms licencing be managed by an independent Firearms Authority , rather than Police , and that limits be placed on the number of firearms a person could own and that licences be specific to only those firearms that were registered against the licence
Port Arthur massacre
Port Arthur massacre (Australia)
Arms Act 1983