“An unlicensed fire-arm and an incompetent owner are just as illegal as an unlicensed vehicle or a driver without a driver's licence. That's why it is in the interest of each current and prospective gun owner to ensure that the new gun law is strictly obeyed,” says Arnold van der Linde, Managing Director of IntegriSure Brokers who specialize in short-term insurance for people over 50.
Law-abiding citizens need not fear anything sinister in the new Fire-Arms Control Act that officially took effect on 1 st July this year. On the contrary – the new law should be welcomed by everyone, as it is aimed at creating a safer community.
The well-known fire-arms expert and dealer, dr. Lucas Potgieter, says anyone who owns a fire-arm in terms of the new legislation, can rest assured that on account of a series of tests and investigations as prescribed by the new law, he or she has been found to be fully qualified and competent to own, handle and safely keep such a fire-arm. “Unfortunately it doesn't protect the public against people who handle unlicensed fire-arms irresponsibly,” he says.
Potgieter reacted to the reluctance of many people to go through the prescribed legal process – especially older people, who have been in possession of licensed fire-arms for decades. The older generation is generally more responsible and safety conscious, and don't necessarily see the need to pass a competency test first, followed by a qualifying test, in order to obtain a licence to retain their current fire-arms.
Potgieter says people will have to be extremely patient. “Although the new gun law is a good thing in itself, the enforcement of the law will most probably leave much to be desired because of the inability of the police as a result of a serious shortage of manpower. Consequently, it is inevitable that there will be enormous delays with the issuing of fire-arm licences,” he says.
IntegriSure is of the opinion that a substantial number of older people – especially those with fire-arms that have become obsolete, such as heirlooms, outdated guns etc. – may prefer to rather dispose of such weapons than to be subjected to the red tape and delays of licensing.
According to Potgieter, the best solution would be to take such fire-arms with their licences to the nearest police station with the request to have them destroyed. “The police will then accept the fire-arm and issue a receipt, after which they will be compelled by law to destroy the weapon,” he says.