'We want people to be safer' – gun owners will soon have to pass more stringent test

It's hoped the new rules will make it harder for firearms to fall into the wrong hands.

It's hoped new gun rules will make it harder for firearms to fall into the wrong hands.

The new rules come as figures released to 1 NEWS show 99 per cent of firearms applications in New Zealand were approved in the past year.

That's all set to change as soon new applicants will have to pass a harder test, similar to getting a drivers licence.

"That way at least whoever's doing the testing can see that people actually point their guns in the right direction for a start," hunter Brenton Laing said.

Applicants will also have to sit a new multi-choice theory test at either the AA or VTNZ.

"We want people to be safe and this new programme offers an opportunity to improve those safety outcomes," New Zealand Police's acting Superintendent Mike McIlraith told 1 NEWS.

The NZ gun lobby is sceptical of the need for change, concerned the changes could lead to more people using guns illegally.

"It will actually, most probably increase the flow of what we call 'grey guns' to the unofficial market," Paul Clark from the Council of Licensed Firearms Owners said.

The new changes come into force on July 1.

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