In the wake of the mosque shootings in Christchurch , Prime Minister Ardern announced : " Our gun laws will change , now is the time ... People will be seeking change , and I am committed to that . " Ardern continued by stating , " There have been attempts to change our laws in 2005 , 2012 and after an inquiry in 2017 . Now is the time for change . " Attorney-General David Parker was later quoted as saying that the government would ban semi-automatic guns , but he 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 all military style semi-automatics and assault rifles would be banned . The first step in this process was taken on 21 March by reclassifying 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
mosque shootings in Christchurch
Christchurch mosque shootings
Gun laws in New Zealand