A public meeting on the regulation of military-style semi-automatic weapons will be held in Christchurch this weekend.

The event, hosted by Labour’s police spokeswoman Ginny Andersen, is scheduled for Saturday 7 September at the Cardboard Cathedral from 2-4pm.

This discussion is part of ongoing efforts to address concerns over firearms in New Zealand, particularly the regulation of military-style semi-automatic weapons.

In 2019, following the terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch, which claimed 51 lives and left many others injured, the Labour government introduced changes to firearms laws.

These included a firearms registry and a ban on most semi-automatic rifles, with some exceptions made for pest control.

As of 2024, the Arms Act 1983 is set to undergo a complete overhaul, part of the coalition agreement between the National and ACT parties.

ACT MP and Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee, who formerly represented the Council of Licenced Firearms Owners (COLFO), is overseeing the reform process. McKee has said the rewrite will start from scratch, with every aspect of the current law being reconsidered.

The new firearms laws are expected to be in place by 2026, though the reform is still in its early stages.

Earlier this year, Andersen raised concerns about the Government’s proposed changes, saying, “The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws.”