A sigh of relief...for thousands of firearm owners whose licences expired

SA – Holders of firearms whose licences expired and wish to rectify the position, would not be prosecuted. 

Extracts from SAPS directive issued Friday 1 July 2022
For data integrity, applicants will have to physically present [not hand in] firearms they intend applying for in this category together with a copy/copies of the expired licence(s) to the [designated firearms officer at your local police station] DFO for inspection and validation.

After this, a verification certificate will be signed by both the applicant and the DFO. Where the firearm owner is deceased, a copy of the executor’s letter and copy of a license or identity document of the deceased must be attached. This application will follow the normal estate application rule.

AfriForum’s press release extracts, dated Wednesday 6 July reads:
In short, any licensee whose firearm license has expired, is entitled to apply for renewal without any fear of prosecution or expropriation of their firearm.

“We are delighted that the necessary clarity was given to the court order as soon as possible after the court order and trust that members of the SAPS will handle any renewal applications in accordance with the court order and directives.

We believe that many firearm owners who were left in the dark due to the uncertainty that prevailed regarding renewal applications submitted to the SAPS after the expiry date, are now a thing of the past,” says Armand Greyling, legal and risk officer at AfriForum.

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