Licensed gun owners may face imprisonment
Mbulelo Baloyi
November 06 2005 at 02:39AM
Close to half-a-million licensed firearm owners could face up to 10 years' imprisonment or a R20 000 fine if found not to have renewed their licences by end of November, said police.
Central Firearms Register spokesperson director Phuti Setati said any currently licensed firearm owner whose birthday fell between January and March and who had not lodged his firearm licence renewal application on January 1 would be deemed to be in illegal possession of a firearm despite the possession of the old licence issued under the now-defunct Arms and Ammunition Act.
Although Setati could not be drawn on what penalties recalcitrant firearm licence renewal applicants could face, the minimum penalty for being in illegal possession of a firearm, according to the new Firearms Control Act of 2000 which replaced the Arms and Ammunition Act, is 10 years imprisonment or a R20 000 fine.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With more than 3,5-million guns licensed to individual civilians, the Central Firearms Register has to process an average of between 500 000 and 600 000 renewal applications this year.
'An extensive background check on the firearm licence renewal applicant has to be done'
According to official statistics there is a total licensed firearm pool of 4,5-million including the 3,5-million licensed to civilian individuals, with the police and the army having 567 000.
In another new twist to the process, people who have given themselves as references in support of firearm licence renewal applications have to answer a barrage of questions from Designated Firearm Officers (DFO).
Setati said extensive interviews will have to be physically conducted with the two people listed as references by licensed firearm owners applying for renewals.
"An extensive background check on the firearm licence renewal applicant has to be done by the DFO," said Setati.
Gun lobby group SA Gun Owners' Association (SAGOA) spokesperson Martin Hood said: "With the processing of the renewal applications moving at a snail's pace, one cannot even begin to imagine the inconvenience these interviews will cause.
"Some people might decide to withdraw their names as references, thus further delaying the renewal application."
Since two references had to be interviewed this meant for every 1 000 applicants the DFO would have to interview 2 000 references, which was impossible at the current rate of processing of applications.
SAGOA, together with the Black Gun Owners' Association, has been complaining about the administrative bottlenecks. Hood said his association had put the system to the test and it took a period of 15 months for one licence renewal application to be captured on the firearm register's computer.
Hood said: "Even the DFOs themselves have told us that there is a serious shortage of manpower and they can't see themselves able to deal with the deluge of applications within the stipulated time."
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20051106095606490C382994
Mbulelo Baloyi
November 06 2005 at 02:39AM
Close to half-a-million licensed firearm owners could face up to 10 years' imprisonment or a R20 000 fine if found not to have renewed their licences by end of November, said police.
Central Firearms Register spokesperson director Phuti Setati said any currently licensed firearm owner whose birthday fell between January and March and who had not lodged his firearm licence renewal application on January 1 would be deemed to be in illegal possession of a firearm despite the possession of the old licence issued under the now-defunct Arms and Ammunition Act.
Although Setati could not be drawn on what penalties recalcitrant firearm licence renewal applicants could face, the minimum penalty for being in illegal possession of a firearm, according to the new Firearms Control Act of 2000 which replaced the Arms and Ammunition Act, is 10 years imprisonment or a R20 000 fine.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With more than 3,5-million guns licensed to individual civilians, the Central Firearms Register has to process an average of between 500 000 and 600 000 renewal applications this year.
'An extensive background check on the firearm licence renewal applicant has to be done'
According to official statistics there is a total licensed firearm pool of 4,5-million including the 3,5-million licensed to civilian individuals, with the police and the army having 567 000.
In another new twist to the process, people who have given themselves as references in support of firearm licence renewal applications have to answer a barrage of questions from Designated Firearm Officers (DFO).
Setati said extensive interviews will have to be physically conducted with the two people listed as references by licensed firearm owners applying for renewals.
"An extensive background check on the firearm licence renewal applicant has to be done by the DFO," said Setati.
Gun lobby group SA Gun Owners' Association (SAGOA) spokesperson Martin Hood said: "With the processing of the renewal applications moving at a snail's pace, one cannot even begin to imagine the inconvenience these interviews will cause.
"Some people might decide to withdraw their names as references, thus further delaying the renewal application."
Since two references had to be interviewed this meant for every 1 000 applicants the DFO would have to interview 2 000 references, which was impossible at the current rate of processing of applications.
SAGOA, together with the Black Gun Owners' Association, has been complaining about the administrative bottlenecks. Hood said his association had put the system to the test and it took a period of 15 months for one licence renewal application to be captured on the firearm register's computer.
Hood said: "Even the DFOs themselves have told us that there is a serious shortage of manpower and they can't see themselves able to deal with the deluge of applications within the stipulated time."
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20051106095606490C382994
:banghead:
