Gunformation Forum

[GOSA]

Gun owners get another window to fall in step with firearms law


WYNDHAM HARTLEY Published: 2009/11/04 06:26:25 AM


CAPE TOWN - Tens of thousands of people who stand to be
criminalised by the Firearms Control Act will soon get another
chance to put themselves in step with the law through a second
gun amnesty. But they will not be able to do it anonymously.

The police plan will allow gun owners who failed to reapply for
their licences by this year's March deadline a further
three-month window. This could ease the administrative burden for
police as many gun owners had not re- applied the first time
around.

Parliament's police committee was yesterday asked by Police
Minister Nathi Mthethwa to endorse the plan for another firearms
amnesty between January 11 and April 11 next year.

Central to the amnesty proposal was that anyone in possession of
an illegal firearm could hand it in at a police station
anonymously.

But MPs of all parties wanted to know what would happen to the
firearms. When told that they would be ballistically tested to
see if they had been used in a crime, they wanted to know how the
individual would be traced if it had been surrendered
anonymously.

The committee found favour with the idea of another amnesty after
the successful one in 2005. They had been told that of the
weapons surrendered in the first amnesty, about 33000 were
illegal and about 46000 legal.

Central firearms registry head Jaco Botma said one problem the
amnesty sought to rectify was of weapons that had been inherited
and not relicensed. There were 200000 dead people who were still
registered gun owners.

African National Congress MP Annelize van Wyk led the charge
against allowing the anonymous surrender of firearms. She said if
a crime had been committed with a gun it was vital that it could
be traced to the individual who surrendered it.
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[GOSA]

Shove the firearms act
Published: 2009/11/06 06:27:40 AM

Reading your report (Gun owners get another window to fall in step with firearms law, November 4) was a surreal experience. Did I dream that the Western Cape High Court ordered the police minister, his department and the SAPS to roll out compensation for surrendered firearms? Did the court not rule that the conduct of the minister, his department and the SAPS towards gun owners was “unlawful and unconstitutional”?


Did anyone bother to inform the members of the police committee?

How is it possible that not one member of that committee demanded that disciplinary action be taken against SAPS members whom a court found had for years been thumbing their noses at the constitution and the rule of law, violating gun owners’ rights?


Is it possible that not one MP demanded that before another word was said about the Firearms Control Act, the auditor-general should conduct a forensic audit of implementation of the FCA? Is it because, in apportioning blame for the R1bn black hole Firearms Control Act, the committee’s members have to bear the lion’s share for shrugging off their constitutional duty of parliamentary oversight?

Remember, four convicted Travelgate fraudsters head parliamentary portfolio committees. How many of the parliamentarians who rammed this law through are actually fit to own firearms, having records from fraud to murder?


The expectations of the police committee’s ANC members are accordingly not very high, but what about opposition MPs?

The police parliamentary portfolio committee has made a mockery of the Constitutional Assembly’s attempts to make sure that the police would never again be able to hold themselves above the law.


Does anyone not get it? The ANC can take the Firearms Control Act and shove it! Millions of gun owners have told them so.

B Nortje
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[GOSA]

Confused about guns
Published: 2009/11/09 06:27:42 AM


From inception, there's been a lot of confusion about the
Firearms Control Act. Now, Business Day is adding to that
confusion (Gun owners get another window to fall in step with
firearms law, November 4). Currently, nobody "stands to be
criminalised" by the Firearms Control Act.


All existing (old act) licences remain valid until SA Hunters
brings its case to court, something which is not going to be
concluded before the end of this proposed amnesty.


In addition to this, your article makes it sound as if firearm
owners would be allowed to renew if they missed the March
deadline. Nothing like this is being proposed.


Anyone with a firearm licensed under the old act should hang on
to it until the SA Hunters court case is concluded. After that,
anyone who is forced to hand in a firearm would be entitled to
compensation as determined by the Gun Owners of SA court case.
Anyone intimidated into handing in their legally acquired
firearms is a fool.


The SAPS is trying to convince Parliament that criminals will
hand in their guns, and give their names at the same time. Can't
we just ask the criminals to line up outside Pollsmoor, take a
blanket, proceed to a cell?


Wouter de Waal
Bellville
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