South African Gun Act failing dismally

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"The Democratic Alliance has asked for a special parliamentary debate on the problems relating to the implementation of the Firearms Control Act. Giving notice of a motion in the national assembly on Tuesday, DA MP Roy Jankielsohn said his party believed the government would have to reconsider whether it was able to properly implement the act. Firearm owners had experienced a number of problems when trying to renew their firearm licences. "While the number of accredited training institutions has increased, in many rural areas training is still a problem due to long distances and bureaucratic obstructions," he said.

The costs involved with training, obtaining competency certificates, and the licensing process was, for many people, unaffordable. This was especially true for pensioners. Backlogs with licensing and appeals were causing a great deal of frustration among applicants for both renewals and new licenses. In many instances, licences were refused with the only reason given as "a lack of sufficient motivation".

The police were having their own problems with a lack of resources and personnel, as well as problems with communication between the central firearms registry and various police stations. Documentation and fingerprints were often lost, which led to further delays and frustration, said Jankielsohn. Many firearm owners were unaware of what was expected of them in terms of the act. The general feeling among the public was that the government was deliberately trying to disarm law-abiding citizens while many of the 20 000 murders each year were committed with illegal firearms, he said.

Responsible firearm owners had a legitimate concern that they would become criminals if they were unable to comply with the act, while it appeared that the criminals were able to murder, rape, and plunder with impunity. "The government has a responsibility to ensure that all individuals, rich and poor, urban and rural, are able to comply with legislation. "In this respect the Firearms Control Act is failing dismally," said Jankielsohn.

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