The Regulation of Firearms in New Zealand.

The initial unregulated flow of firearms into New Zealand was problematic in terms of the impacts that resulted for the Indigenous population. The tight regulation that followed in the second half of the nineteenth century was akin to a civil war situation, as firepower was denied to groups in rebellion against the Crown. In the twentieth century, as the country stabilised, regulation evolved to a civil setting, encompassing applicant age and suitability and the registration of firearms. Although firearms control remained important over the following decades, by the early 1980s, registration had largely been done away with, and the trend moved from 'prohibited' to 'restricted' types of firearms. The law moved towards greater regulation after the first mass shooting in 1990. However, when it came to the second in 2019, the system reverted to prohibition of the type of firearms used in the atrocity, a rethinking of who was fit and proper to possess a firearm and a reintroduction of comprehensive registration for all firearms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]