New Zealand is undertaking the most significant rewrite of firearms law in over 40 years. Overall, it’s a welcome step, as the law was messy and times have changed.

But that’s not to say the proposed law can’t be improved further.

While controls on the kinds of weapons used in the Christchurch terror attack will remain, as will a firearms register, other ways of ensuring public safety must be addressed.

Submissions on the Arms Bill close on February 16. From my recent research in nine comparable countries, I can see four main areas where New Zealand’s new law can be enhanced.

There are considerably more firearms deaths in New Zealand from suicide than from homicide. The rate is lower than in the United States, but higher than in England, Wales and Australia.

The most practical way to protect unlicensed people wanting to self-harm is to implement the strictest possible standards for safe firearms storage.

To protect licensed gun owners, the law needs to encourage the building of effective communities of firearms owners, with leadership from the gun industry and related organisations.

As outlined below, this would be coupled with input from mental health professionals, new standards for licensing, with education and resources that dovetail........

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