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One man, one gun, states new law
September 28 2003 at 10:41AM
By Edwin Naidu
More than two million gun owners in South Africa will have to take stringent competency tests when reapplying for their licences in terms of the country's new firearm law that comes into effect this year.
In terms of the Firearms Control Act, all existing and new gun owners will have to apply for licences, with private individuals allowed to own one firearm for protection. Owners of additional weapons would have to sell them through a registered gunshop or hand them over to the police for disposal.
The South African Police Service has started training designated firearms officers at stations throughout the country.
'We are determined to cut down on the number of guns in the country'
Currently a licence can be obtained from the central firearms registry via a gun dealer but the laws about to come into effect require applicants to apply for a gun licence from an accredited training authority. The applicant must meet certain requirements, including an as yet-to-be-developed competency test, and prove they have the temperament to manage a weapon. They must also have a safe to keep it in.
Gun owners will be tested on their knowledge of the 145 sections of the act.
As with the recent conversion to card format driving licences, the process will be phased in for existing gun owners over a period of about five years.
Police spokesperson Andrew Lesch said in terms of the act, a licence would be issued at an accredited institution which provides practical and theoretical training, and the police would do a comprehensive background check on the applicant, especially the person's "tendency to become violent".
The police will also conduct interviews with neighbours or family to help determine the applicant's suitability to hold a licence.
The guidelines for ordinary gun owners look likely to become a source of dispute
He said although no date had been set police would like the law to come into effect as soon as possible, preferably before the end of the year.
Sheena Duncan of Gunfree South Africa welcomed initiatives to reduce the number of weapons in the country and said the law would make it difficult for people to obtain a firearm.
Lesley Xinwa, spokesperson for Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula, said there would be an awareness campaign outlining the goals of the law. "We are determined to cut down on the number of guns in the country."
The law has infuriated firearm owners, according to Martin Wood, spokesperson for the South African Gunowners' Association. He said the police did not have the capacity to make the law work.
"There will be chaos when the act kicks in because police have not been open in their dealings with gun owners... they do not have the support of firearm owners and have been operating in a unilateral way," he said.
Wood said a backlog at the central firearms registry in Pretoria had already affected tens of thousands of applicants for gun licences. "How are they expected to handle implementing the new law, which requires additional work, when they cannot cope with the current load?" he asked.
He said previously it had taken three weeks for a licence to be granted. Recently, some members of the association had waited more than four months for applications to be processed.
"No one knows why licences are being refused... the current situation does not augur well for the time the new laws come into effect, there is bound to be confusion," he said.
Lesch said backlogs in issuing of licences were due to stricter measures taken because the police had been ordered by the courts to be more careful in checking out the applicants. The police have been held responsible in a number of instances for issuing weapons to people who have used them in violent disputes.
Lesch said since July organisations, including sporting and hunting groups and people who used weapons in the course of work, had to apply for accreditation.
Lesch confirmed gun owners had expressed unhappiness over aspects of the law but said there were opportunities during drafting of the legislation for public input. "We've done a lot of work already on the law.
"It is a learning process but to say there will be chaos is unfair as we have received support from many quarters."
He said although the act was comprehensive, and available in only English and Afrikaans, police did not expect an applicant to know everything it contained but at least to show a basic understanding of it.
The police, security, legal, justice and correctional services sector education and training authority is in the process of developing standards for the accreditation of training for gun owners.
The South African Qualifications Authority has also developed a training manual for policemen but the guidelines for ordinary gun owners look likely to become a source of dispute.
One man, one gun, states new law
September 28 2003 at 10:41AM
By Edwin Naidu
More than two million gun owners in South Africa will have to take stringent competency tests when reapplying for their licences in terms of the country's new firearm law that comes into effect this year.
In terms of the Firearms Control Act, all existing and new gun owners will have to apply for licences, with private individuals allowed to own one firearm for protection. Owners of additional weapons would have to sell them through a registered gunshop or hand them over to the police for disposal.
The South African Police Service has started training designated firearms officers at stations throughout the country.
'We are determined to cut down on the number of guns in the country'
Currently a licence can be obtained from the central firearms registry via a gun dealer but the laws about to come into effect require applicants to apply for a gun licence from an accredited training authority. The applicant must meet certain requirements, including an as yet-to-be-developed competency test, and prove they have the temperament to manage a weapon. They must also have a safe to keep it in.
Gun owners will be tested on their knowledge of the 145 sections of the act.
As with the recent conversion to card format driving licences, the process will be phased in for existing gun owners over a period of about five years.
Police spokesperson Andrew Lesch said in terms of the act, a licence would be issued at an accredited institution which provides practical and theoretical training, and the police would do a comprehensive background check on the applicant, especially the person's "tendency to become violent".
The police will also conduct interviews with neighbours or family to help determine the applicant's suitability to hold a licence.
The guidelines for ordinary gun owners look likely to become a source of dispute
He said although no date had been set police would like the law to come into effect as soon as possible, preferably before the end of the year.
Sheena Duncan of Gunfree South Africa welcomed initiatives to reduce the number of weapons in the country and said the law would make it difficult for people to obtain a firearm.
Lesley Xinwa, spokesperson for Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula, said there would be an awareness campaign outlining the goals of the law. "We are determined to cut down on the number of guns in the country."
The law has infuriated firearm owners, according to Martin Wood, spokesperson for the South African Gunowners' Association. He said the police did not have the capacity to make the law work.
"There will be chaos when the act kicks in because police have not been open in their dealings with gun owners... they do not have the support of firearm owners and have been operating in a unilateral way," he said.
Wood said a backlog at the central firearms registry in Pretoria had already affected tens of thousands of applicants for gun licences. "How are they expected to handle implementing the new law, which requires additional work, when they cannot cope with the current load?" he asked.
He said previously it had taken three weeks for a licence to be granted. Recently, some members of the association had waited more than four months for applications to be processed.
"No one knows why licences are being refused... the current situation does not augur well for the time the new laws come into effect, there is bound to be confusion," he said.
Lesch said backlogs in issuing of licences were due to stricter measures taken because the police had been ordered by the courts to be more careful in checking out the applicants. The police have been held responsible in a number of instances for issuing weapons to people who have used them in violent disputes.
Lesch said since July organisations, including sporting and hunting groups and people who used weapons in the course of work, had to apply for accreditation.
Lesch confirmed gun owners had expressed unhappiness over aspects of the law but said there were opportunities during drafting of the legislation for public input. "We've done a lot of work already on the law.
"It is a learning process but to say there will be chaos is unfair as we have received support from many quarters."
He said although the act was comprehensive, and available in only English and Afrikaans, police did not expect an applicant to know everything it contained but at least to show a basic understanding of it.
The police, security, legal, justice and correctional services sector education and training authority is in the process of developing standards for the accreditation of training for gun owners.
The South African Qualifications Authority has also developed a training manual for policemen but the guidelines for ordinary gun owners look likely to become a source of dispute.
