Police want people with prohibited firearms to hand them in during the amnesty and buy-back period at collection events as part of new legislation amending firearms laws.

The first firearms collection event will be held at Addington Raceway in Christchurch on Saturday 13 July.

“We appreciate people have been patient as Regulations have been developed and Police worked through the details of managing such a large-scale collection and buy-back process,” says Deputy Commissioner, Mike Clement.

“Police want to support our firearm owners to transition to the new laws and we want to ensure these changes are easy to navigate.

“Ultimately we hope to never again see the kind of attack we saw on 15 March in Christchurch.”

Over the next six months, a number of collection events will be held across New Zealand until the amnesty period ceases on 20 December 2019.

A list of these events - with dates and locations - will be available on Police’s website from Monday 24 June.

“It is Police’s preference that firearm owners attend these events to hand-in firearms.

However, there are other options available, including bulk pick-ups by Police for those with more than 10 firearms, exception-based pick-ups by Police if there are security concerns or transport constraints, and hand-ins at selected firearms retailers or dealers, and Police stations.

“The Police website will be regularly updated and it is important people check it often for updates.

It also contains information on what to do before coming to a collection event, what to bring and what to expect.

The independently developed price list is also available on the website.

“Safety is crucial, so before coming to an event, owners must clear firearm/s of all ammunition and put them and any parts in a safe carry bag,” says Deputy Commissioner, Mike Clement.

“To speed up the process at events, owners should also complete the online form on the Police website.”

Please also bring the following with you to collection events:

Your firearms licence (if applicable)
Photo identification (drivers licence or passport)
Your bank account number
Your online notification reference number
All your prohibited parts, cleared of all ammunition
Any other non-prohibited firearm/s or parts you wish to hand-in to Police.
For more information visit www.police.govt.nz or call 0800 311 311.

ENDS

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