Business slow on gun law

2003-09-18 00:05

Adriaan Basson

Pretoria - No business with a firearm registered to it has applied for accreditation to police yet.

This was the statement of Senior Superintendent Andrew Lesch, police spokesperson, on Wednesday after police issued a statement on the compulsory accreditation under the Gun Control Act of 2000 of organisations and business with firearms.

This controversial act dictates a stricter legal framework and was again under discussion in parliament recently when police were reprimanded for not having implemented the act yet.

In the statement, Director Jaco Bothma, head of the police's central gun register, warned organisations that they could have problems obtaining a firearm licence if they are not accredited to the police.

The following persons and organisations are obliged to apply for accreditation by law:

>Hunting clubs;

Sport shooting clubs

Museums;

Shooting ranges;

Shooting coaches;

Gun collectors and collectors' associations;

Companies that provide weapons for use in films, television and theatre productions;

Professional hunters;

People who operate business based on hunting and

People who use guns for any other business purpose.

All legal institutions that own firearms - even if they are registered with the central gun register - must apply for accreditation.

Bothma said private security firms, registered with the Security Industry Regulatory Authority, need not apply for accreditation.

Lesch made it clear on Wednesday that private gun owners are not affected by the accreditation.

"If a liquor outlet owner owns a weapon that is registered in the shop's name, for example, he would need to apply for accreditation," Lesch said.

- Beeld