The main parties, Labour and National

The Council of Licensed Firearms Owners (COLFO) was set up in 1996.

The Sporting Shooters Association of New Zealand is a part-time lobby group that is usually only active at elections and when there are government calls for gun control laws. It is smaller than COLFO. Opinions vary on how "radical" vs. how "soft" these two organisations are.[citation needed]

The National Shooters Association is a nationwide civilian gun owners association that took the forefront in a 2009 legal challenge against unauthorised police interference with gun regulations. Its executive is largely made up of former members the Practical Shooting Institute, a predecessor group which had similar success bringing court action against Police interference in 1990.
Anti-Gun groups

The two major anti-gun groups in recent years have been the Coalition for Gun Control, and Gunsafe NZ. Neither is still active, but were led by activist Philip Alpers and Mike Meyrick, a former police officer and lawyer.[13]

Alpers now works for the University of Sydney, promoting anti-gun policies across the Tasman.
Political parties

The main parties, Labour and National, generally treat gun control as a bi-partisan issue. Both support the passage of the Arms Amendment (No. 3) Bill[citation needed].

The ACT[citation needed] and Libertarianz parties advocate the ownership of guns for self-defence.[14]

The Outdoor Recreation party was formed in 2001 to support hunting and sport fishing. It failed to gain any seats in 2002, and again in 2005, when, with the United Future party, it contested the election.