THE family of a man killed by a crossbow bolt hopes new West Australian laws blocking the sale and possession of the weapons will prevent further deaths.

Christopher Halstead, 26, died in February 2009 after being shot at close range in the chest during a confrontation in the Pilbara town of Karratha.

His death was a key prompt for new laws to ban the sale of crossbows in WA, with only a few exceptions.

Amendments to the Weapons Act 1999 come into force on Saturday across the state, reclassifying crossbows as prohibited weapons.

Wally and Yvonne Halstead called for a ban on crossbows following their son's death. Today, Mr Halstead said the new legislation seemed reasonable and appropriate.

"It's about minimisation of risk," he said.

"It's too late for our son who lost his life. It's too late for our family who've been devastated.

"But, hopefully, with this new prohibition law, it may help prevent some other unfortunate person losing their life or being very severely injured and any other family having to go what we went through."

WA Police Minister Rob Johnson said the new laws followed an agreement by the Australasian Police Ministers' Council that crossbows should be banned across Australia.

"The changes will limit the circumstances under which crossbows can be lawfully purchased," he said.

"We want to reduce the likelihood that a crossbow falls into the wrong hands and is used to injure or kill a person or animal."

The only exceptions will be genuine crossbow collectors, people engaged in crossbow events who belong to an Archery Australia club, and film producers.

Anyone with a crossbow who does not qualify for one of the three exceptions under the new laws must destroy or lawfully dispose of the weapon or surrender it to a police station.

Under the new regulations, people will not be able to hunt with crossbows in WA.

Mr Johnson said the RSPCA had welcomed that restriction. Horses, kangaroos, swans and other animals suffer horrific injuries caused by crossbow bolts, and often die slow deaths.

The penalty for buying, possessing, selling, supplying or manufacturing crossbows outside the exemptions is a $36,000 fine and three years' jail.

The Supreme Court found Fraser Macaree, 28, guilty of Mr Halstead's manslaughter in March 2010. He was jailed for six years.

The court heard that Mr Halstead had driven his friend Steven Bruce to Macaree's home so Mr Bruce could confront him about a one-night stand with his girlfriend.

Macaree had armed himself with a crossbow, and Justice Stephen Hall found he deliberately pulled the trigger when confronting Mr Halstead in his driveway but had not intended to kill or harm him.

Justice Hall called for the government to consider regulations on the use of crossbows.

Originally published as Western Australia adopts crossbow ban