More than 2,000 now-illegal firearms were handed in to police this weekend as the first gun buy-back events were held in main city centres.
Hundreds of people around the country, including in Auckland, Wellington and Hamilton, handed in prohibited weapons and accessories.
Auckland man Farooq Kassibawi took a Russian shotgun to the buyback.
He told RNZ reporter Chen Liu he had a very good reason for giving up his gun.
