Following the Christchurch mosque shootings on 15 March 2019 , Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that the government would be changing New Zealand 's gun laws . Attorney-General David Parker was later quoted as saying that the government would ban semi-automatic guns , but subsequently backtracked , saying that the government had not yet committed to anything and that regulations around semi-automatic weapons was " one of the issues " the government would consider . On 20 March 2019 , Ardern announced that the government would ban all semi-automatic firearms and assault rifles and would also be introducing a buy-back scheme to remove all prohibited firearms from circulation . On 21 March , as an interim step , the government reclassified most semi-automatic firearms as " military style semi-automatic firearms " for the purpose of the Arms Act 1983 , pursuant to section 74A ( c ) of the statute
Christchurch mosque shootings
Christchurch mosque shootings
Arms (Prohibited Firearms, Magazines, and Parts) Amendment Act 2019