Prime Minister John Key is backing calls for an inquiry into the availability and use of firearms.
Police Minister Judith Collins is calling for Parliament's law and order select committee to look into the issue, after a number of shootings and gun seizures in the last week.
John Key told the Paul Henry programme he thinks it's time the issue was scrutinised.
"It's right to say 'let's have a bit of a look at the situation', and see if we can stop the supply and get better understanding of how we can control those firearms. Look, it is in the end the illegal access to them and those firearms that fall into the wrong hands."
The calls for an inquiry come after a recent spate of gun-related incidents.
Last Tuesday, one person was shot dead and another injured in Seacliff, north of Dunedin.
The following day, four police officers were shot and injured during a drug operation near Kawerau, resulting in a siege that lasted nearly 24 hours.
On Thursday, police revealed they'd found a cache of firearms, including military-style assault weapons, at a property in South Auckland.
Then on Friday night, one person was shot dead and another was injured in Papakura.
