JUANITA GREYLING
T RA D E N E W S
•••
Do you know what the
2016 Firearms Act entails?
FIREARM OWNERS ARE
UP IN ARMS ABOUT
THE CHANGES TO THE
FIREARMS ACT (ACT 60
OF 2000)(FCA) WHICH
WERE MADE BY THE SAPS
(SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE
SERVICE) ON 3 FEBRUARY
2016.
T
he new process for the
renewal of firearm licences
was signed and approved by the
acting National Commissioner, Lt.
Genl. JK Phahlane.
According to James Cameron,
a Firearms Act expert, there is no
reason for concern. “There is not
much that is new and that will
have an impact on the end user
in respect of the 2016 Firearms
Act. Changes were implemented
with a view to solving administrative problems.” He explains that,
according to the SAPS, they will
be able to curb corruption in this
manner.
The 2016 Firearms mandate
makes it clear that the provisions
of section 24 of the FCA will be
applied strictly in future. It will
involve the following:
• A firearm licence renewal application must be lodged 90 days
before the expiry date in future.
• Should an application not be
lodged within the said period,
a motivation will have to be
tabled, stating the reasons for the late application. Should such
a motivation not be
attached to the renewal
application, the DFO
(District Firearm Officer)
may issue a notice indicating
possible termination of your
licence by the SAPS.
• When an application is lodged
for the renewal of a firearm
licence which has already expired, the DFO will issue a
notice that the firearm has to
be handed in or that it will be
confiscated. The objective will
be the destruction of the firearm due to the fact that it will
be regarded as "possession of
an unlicenced firearm", which
could result in a prison sentence of 15 years.
• Should a person voluntarily
hand in his/her firearm in
respect of which the licence
has expired, at the SAPS, the
person will not be prosecuted
for possession of an unlicenced
firearm.
• This mandate and Act will have
no impact on firearm owners
with green licences. Please note,
however, that the licences could
not be renewed under the FCA
in the past.
James Cameron indicates that it is
of the utmost importance for firearm owners to renew their licences
within the specified period. “You
must not be like a ostrich burying
its head in the sand. Somewhere
along the way you number will
James Cameron, firearm
legislation expert.
come up on the computer system and they will be
able to see that your licence has
expired. There is no way of avoiding it!”
Some firearem owners will not
find it easy to obtain or apply
for a firearm licence. Due to the
recent privatisation of the SAPFCT (South African Professional
Firearm Trainers Council), which
placed the former SASETA under
administration in 2015 and eventually ruled it as being unqualified,
a number of problems are being
experienced in the relicensing
process. According to a SAPS letter dated 6 March 2015, training
certificates issued before 2014 will
be accepted, as long as these are
accompanied by a valid SASSETA-certificate or PFTC Statement
of Results (SoR). Should your
former training institution not
exist anymore and should you not
have a record of training, you will
have to complete a new course. All
further training and accreditations
will have to be done and approved
by the SAPFTC.
It is of the utmost importance
that you, as firearm owner, must
make sure of the expiry date of
your firearm licence and that your
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