Lessons from Asia on firearms regulation and emerging technologies

In India, Clementine learned about the Indian context through discussions with political scientist Samuel Songdeep

As part of my Master of Laws research, and with the support of an Asia New Zealand Foundation Research Grant, I travelled to South Korea, Japan, India and Singapore to explore how these countries approach firearms regulation.

The fieldwork took place while New Zealand was undertaking a significant rewrite of the Arms Act, and I hoped the research could contribute to that conversation.

I was particularly interested in discussing how emerging technologies were shaping firearms regulation and what future challenges policymakers anticipated.

While 3D-printed firearms and drones were already on my research radar, I was surprised to learn about a technology that has received little attention in New Zealand firearms policy discussions: electromagnetic guns.

Electromagnetic guns

In Tokyo, Japanese officials drew my attention to the growing power of hand-held electromagnetic guns. These guns use a combination of electricity and magnets to fire projectiles.

Commercial models available overseas are becoming more powerful, with some now approaching the capability of conventional firearms and incorporating features prohibited in New Zealand for firearms, such as large-capacity magazines and automatic firing.

In a forward-looking move, Japan amended its legal definition of a gun in 2024 to explicitly include electromagnetic guns, bringing them under the same strict framework as firearms, and ensuring the law could accommodate further advances in the technology.

The conversation in Tokyo prompted me to look at how other countries are positioned in relation to electromagnetic guns.

Some countries, including India, Canada, and the United Kingdom, use firearms definitions that are not limited to weapons powered by explosive force, allowing guns with other propulsion methods, such as electromagnetic guns, to be captured within existing regulatory frameworks.

Australia has explicitly addressed the technology through an import ban on electromagnetic guns capable of causing harm to people or property, introduced in 2022.

New Zealand's position on electromagnetic guns is less clear. Because the legal definition of a firearm is primarily tied to explosive force, electromagnetic guns are unlikely to fall within the existing firearms framework. Nor is there a specific import ban directed at these guns.

Whether electromagnetic guns become more widely available remains to be seen, but developments overseas highlight the importance of considering whether New Zealand is ready.

Firearms and drones

Clementine with Nanyang Technological University researcher Rueben Dass with Rueben Dass, who specialises in terrorism and emerging technologies including drones and 3D-printed firearms

Over coffee at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, researcher Rueben Dass and I discussed the intersection of firearms and drone technology.

Drones can facilitate firearms offending in new ways, including by enabling remote surveillance and reconnaissance before an attack, or by transporting firearms and ammunition.

The India-Pakistan border provides a notable example, with drones increasingly featuring in cross-border firearm smuggling operations. There is also potential for firearms to be mounted on, or integrated into, drone systems.

While this capability is most commonly associated with military use, there have been documented cases overseas of civilians mounting firearms on commercial drones.

After the connection between drones and firearms was highlighted, I visited a drone retailer in a Singapore shopping centre to learn more about how civilian drones are regulated in practice. There, I learned that a drone small enough to fit in my handbag would require registration.

In Singapore, Japan, South Korea and India, even small handheld drones need to be registered, but not in New Zealand

Similar, and in some cases tighter, registration requirements exist in South Korea, India, and Japan, as well as in many Western jurisdictions including the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. By contrast, in New Zealand I could purchase a drone heavier than my suitcase, up to 25 kilograms, without registration.

While I initially approached drones from a firearms perspective, the area is far broader.

Drones are capable of remarkable things, but they can also be misused. Seeing how differently other countries approach drone regulation left me with questions about New Zealand's comparatively light-touch approach.

3D-printed firearms

Global incidents involving 3D-printed firearms are increasing, including in New Zealand

During a briefing with the Korean Institute of Criminology and Justice, we discussed how 3D printing is making firearm manufacture easier and more accessible.

Global incidents involving 3D-printed firearms are increasing, and New Zealand has experienced a similar trend, with seizures rising from two firearms in 2022 to at least 87 in 2025.

As digital design files are an essential component of 3D-printed firearm manufacture, regulators are increasingly targeting these ‘instructions’, alongside the firearms themselves.

New Zealand's new Arms Act introduces an offence in this area, making it illegal to possess firearm-manufacturing instructions with the intent to manufacture a firearm, unless the person holds a firearms licence.

South Korea has gone further. Under South Korean Arms Law, sharing firearm-manufacturing instructions is prohibited. This provides a legal basis for requiring internet service providers to remove content and block websites that host it.

As 3D priniting becomes more widespread and sophisticated, the challenge of 3D printed firearms is likely to increase

In a similar vein, Japan’s dedicated internet reporting hotline, similar to New Zealand's Netsafe, now accepts reports of online firearm-manufacturing content, allowing both cyber security specialists and members of the public to report content for removal.

As 3D printing becomes more widespread in New Zealand, it is worth considering whether a broader prohibition on 3D-printed firearms manufacturing instructions, such as those in place in Korea, Japan and also Singapore, could better prevent the illicit manufacture of firearms, particularly given links between 3D-printed firearms and organised crime, violent extremism, and young people.

Clementine standing alongside a holographic policeman in Seoul

Beyond technologies

The technologies above were just part of my much broader exploration of firearms regulation.

Along the way, I encountered a huge variety of ideas, ranging from India's one-firearm limit for most licence holders, to South Korea's requirement that firearms be stored at police stations during the off-season, and Japan's consideration of bankruptcy status as part of firearms licence vetting.

What stood out most to me, however, was the warmth, hospitality and willingness to engage shown by people I spoke to, both formally and informally.

Many were interested in New Zealand’s firearms law too, leading to a genuine exchange of ideas.

The Foundation's research programme publishes surveys, reports, and insights briefs relating to all aspects of New Zealand’s relationships with and interests in Asia. We also provide grants to emerging scholars with Asia-related research interests. 

The Foundation’s Research Grants support talented postgraduate students and emerging scholars to conduct research into contemporary issues in the Asia region.