A June 9 memo to firearms dealers and importers announced police had finalised a review of semi-automatics defined as having a "sporting configuration" and reclassified all guns with a military pattern free-standing pistol grip or one connected to the stock by cross-bar, as "military-style semi-automatics".
Previously, a gun-owner only needed a general firearms licence to own one of the guns. Now, they would need the tougher E-class endorsement.
Police national operations manager Superintendent Tony McLeod said the pistol-like grip made it easier to control the gun when it was fired repeatedly in a semi-automatic mode.
He said New Zealand Police was the authority responsible for the Arms Act and therefore how it was interpreted, and had taken advice on the reclassification from inside and outside New Zealand Police.
Under the new rules, people who owned one of the guns will either have to get the E-class endorsement at a cost of about $1000 and notify police on the make and model of their gun, modify their guns, sell or dispose of them, or hand them in to police.
Owners of military-style semi-automatics undergo more stringent vetting than for standard A-class endorsed licences and are required to have a more secure safe for their weapons. A permit is required to purchase military-style semi-automatic weapons.
Supt McLeod expected thousands of gun owners would be affected.
More than 200,000 people had firearms licences in New Zealand, but there was no way of knowing how many guns there were because there was no system of licensing each gun.
This was not an attempt to create a firearms register by default, he said.
Police were still working through how they would address those who owned such guns.
He said it was "a definite risk" that some owners may not come forward because of the higher cost of the E-class licence.
Dunedin gun retailer Centrefire McCarthys Stream and Field manager Howard Halliday said many people would now have a gun which they either needed to hand over to police or get extra endorsement for.
"The thing is no-one knows about it."
Mr Halliday said some people modified their weapons to have a pistol-style grip for the look, while others did it to make their guns lighter.
The change appeared to be a reaction to the fatal shooting of police officer Senior Constable Len Snee and the injuring of three other people in Napier in May by gunman Jan Molenaar, he said.
Molenaar's licence had lapsed yet he had an arsenal of 18 guns including military-style semi-automatics.
Mr Halliday said the flaw in the situation was that no check was made after Molenaar's licence expired to make sure he no longer had guns.
But Supt McLeod said the reclassification was the result of a review which started late last year in response to police concerns about the proliferation of weapons based on military weapons sold in New Zealand in recent years.
Police were still working out how to notify and contact gun owners, but expected to run a national advertising campaign within the next month.
It was likely there would be a period of grace for gun owners during which they could either obtain an E-class endorsement, for which they would not be charged during the period of grace; reconfigure their firearm; sell it or surrender it to police.
