Firearms Safety

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Firearms Safety

Safety is our collective responsibility. It is up to every participant to ensure the future for firearms users in New Zealand. We do this by following the firearms safety code and keeping yourself and everyone else safe while using firearms. A key part of being a safe hunter is fully understanding and mitigating the risks around firearms.

Apply for your Firearms Licence with the NZ Firearms Licence Authority here

What Are the Risks?

Whether it is on the range, or out in the bush, people need to be extremely aware of themselves and their surroundings at all times. People using firearms for all types of New Zealand hunting have to encounter various forms of terrain, situations and other people. Whether you are new to the game or a experienced with firearms, a small lapse in concentration can be fatal.

What Often Goes Wrong?

Other than firearms mechanically failing, preventable incidents involving firearms are most likely the result of someone breaking one of the Seven Firearms Safety Rules. These rules were generated as a means for hunters to keep themselves and others safe while handling firearms and should always be followed.

Did you know?
45% of hunting-related fatalities involve a firearm.

– A Hunter's Tale, 2017

7 Firearms Safety Rules

1. Treat every firearm as loaded

This rule is to create a mindset so every time you handle a firearm, you treat it as loaded.

  • Always carry out safety precautions and check every firearm yourself
  • Never point a firearm at yourself or any other person.

2. Always point firearms in a safe direction

Loaded or unloaded, always point the firearm muzzle in a safe direction. This means that if the worst happens and the firearm unintentionally discharges, no one will be injured.

  • A safe direction will depend on your environment and requires constant assessment.
  • Use an area that will absorb the projectile – not a hard surface.

3.Chamber a cartridge only when ready to fire

The purpose of this rule is to remind you to chamber a live cartridge into a firearm only when appropriate, such as:

  • when you have sighted or expect to immediately encounter game animals, or
  • when you are about to discharge the firearm, for example, on a shooting range.

If the situation changes, such as leaving the immediate hunting area or you’ve finished shooting, then either return your firearm to the load state or fully unload it.

4. Identify your target beyond all doubt

This rule is critical for shooters to follow, as the consequences of failing to fully identify your target beyond all doubt can be immediate and catastrophic.

  • Take time to analyse your target – is this definitely the type of animal I’m hunting? See the whole animal – is it a stag or hind (how old, what species)? Could this be a person in my hunting area?
  • Never fire at sound, shape, colour or movement alone.
  • If in any doubt, do not shoot!

Learn more from our poster.

5. Check your firing zone

A firing zone is the area that a projectile travels through and may land in after being discharged from a firearm towards a target. It depends on many factors, including the type and calibre of firearm, the ammunition fired, the game being hunted, the environment and hunting strategy being used.

  • Before you shoot, ask yourself: “What could happen if I miss my target?”
  • Be aware of the area between you and your target, and the area beyond the target.
  • Your firing zone is constantly changing, especially when following a moving target.
  • Remember projectiles can travel very long distances.
  • Never shoot at a target on the skyline.
  • If you cannot ensure your firing zone is safe, do not fire!

6.Store and transport firearms and ammunition safely

When travelling with a firearm, you need to:

  • fully unload the chamber, breech and magazine/s
  • make it inoperable by removing the bolt/other vital part, or by fitting a trigger/cable lock, and/or store it in a locked case
  • conceal it from view in the vehicle
  • store and secure ammunition separately.

Learn more about storage and transportation of firearms and ammunition here.

 

7. Avoid alcohol or drugs when handling firearms

When handling a firearm, you must be able to think clearly. Alcohol and some drugs (even if prescribed) slow your mental and physical reactions.

  • There is no safe amount of alcohol you can consume and then handle a firearm safely.
  • Wait until all firearms and ammunition have been safely locked away before drinking alcohol.
  • Do not shoot with others who are, or have been, drinking alcohol or taking drugs.
  • Check with your doctor whether prescribed medications will affect your safety with firearms.

What To Do Next

This page was updated December 2025