Black gun owners up in arms

2009-06-25 22:18

Bloemfontein - Police are intimidating South African gun owners and defrauding citizens of their lawful property, black firearm owners said on Thursday.

Chairperson of the Black Gun Owners Association of South Africa (BGOASA), Abios Khoele, said the police had "legalised" theft and fraud.

"The association is shocked to find that the police are still insisting that they can fine and imprison one million firearm owners and continue to intimidate and defraud citizens of their lawful property," Khoele said in a statement.

He was reacting to the transitional period for the renewal of firearm licences in terms of the new Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000, which would end on June 30.

Discrimination

Khoele said members had been subjected to discriminatory and arbitrary rejections of applications, unacceptable delays and a lack of service delivery by the police in relation to the act.

He said the Ministry of Police had still not entered into discussions with BGOASA on its grievances.

"The SAPS seems not in the least interested in upholding the law or even respecting the constitution."

Khoele said the police must expect little help from the public if this was the way they treated law-abiding citizens.

"The police have deliberately withheld information at all levels about compensation and refused to pay anything whatsoever to those who've applied for it," he said, adding that firearms owners had not been properly notified and advised on all aspects of the law.

The association was planning a rally in Alexandria on Sunday to discuss the situation regarding the new Firearms Control Act.

Gun owners could be in trouble

Recently, the Confederation of Hunters Associations of South Africa (Chasa) also expressed concern that thousands of South African firearm owners who had legally disposed of their firearms could be on the wrong side of the law due to no fault of their own by next week.

Chasa said many of its members and members of the public who were under the impression they had "legally disposed" of their firearms could face the possibility of arrest.

Earlier this week the High Court in Pretoria also heard an urgent application to halt the new act from fully coming into force.

The SA Hunters and Game Conservation Association applied for an interim interdict, declaring that all firearm licences obtained under 1969 firearms legislation remain valid until the outcome of their application to have certain sections of the Firearms Control Act declared unconstitutional.

Judge Bill Prinsloo was expected to deliver judgment on Friday morning.

Police stations such as Park Road police station in Bloemfontein have been flooded with firearm owners in the past week, either handing in firearms to be deactivated or trying to register sold firearms.
 

- SAPA