New Zealand Acts

ARMS ACT 1983 - SECT 55E

55E Offences relating to illegal trafficking of firearms, parts, or ammunition

1 A person commits an offence if the person intentionally—

a) moves, delivers, sends, or transfers any firearm, pistol, pistol carbine conversion kit, prohibited firearm, or restricted weapon, or any part or ammunition, into New Zealand without lawful authority, or if the item is not marked in accordance with this Act and regulations made under section 74 , whether or not the person intends to export the item from New Zealand; or

b) moves, delivers, sends, or transfers any firearm, pistol, pistol carbine conversion kit, prohibited firearm, or restricted weapon, or any part or ammunition, from New Zealand to another country, without lawful authority, or if the item is not marked in accordance with this Act and regulations made under section 74 ; or

c) moves, delivers, sends, or transfers any firearm, pistol, pistol carbine conversion kit, prohibited firearm, or restricted weapon, or any part or ammunition, through or across New Zealand to another country without lawful authority; or

d) moves, delivers, sends, or transfers any firearm, pistol, pistol carbine conversion kit, prohibited firearm, or restricted weapon, or any part or ammunition, into another country from or through New Zealand without lawful authority.

2 A person commits an offence if the person intentionally enters into a contract or an arrangement, or arrives at an understanding, to do anything described in subsection (1)(a) to (d).

3 A person who commits an offence against subsection (1) or (2) is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years.

4 For the purposes of this section, anything that purports to be, or is intended to have the effect of, a contract, an arrangement, or an understanding must be treated as a contract, an arrangement, or an understanding (as the case may be).

5 Any firearm, pistol, pistol carbine conversion kit, prohibited firearm, or restricted weapon, or any part or ammunition, that is imported within the meaning of the Customs and Excise Act 2018 and that arrives in New Zealand in any manner in contravention of this section, must be treated, on importation, as a prohibited good for the purposes of the Customs and Excise Act 2018, except sections 388 and 389 of that Act.

History: Section 55E: inserted, on 25 June 2020, by section 83 of the Arms Legislation Act 2020 (2020 No 23).