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Gun owners under fire
30/06/2004 13:43 - (SA)
Pretoria - Gun owners came under fire in the Pretoria High Court on Wednesday for the late filing of an application to have the implementation of the Firearms Control Act delayed beyond midnight.
Judge Ben du Plessis accused the applicants of seeking to hold the court to ransom by bringing their case at such a late stage.
The applicants must have reasoned that the court would rather err on the side of caution than risk mistakes arising from the act's implementation, he said.
"This is a way of holding the court to ransom to just do something."
Du Plessis also rejected an argument by Sam Maritz, for the applicants, that the act was obscure and required interpretation.
"I think the act means what it means and people must live with it."
If he could not be convinced that the act's implementation was irrational, that seemed to be the end of the matter, the judge added.
Gun owner bodies brought an urgent application to the high court to have the implementation of the act delayed. It was to come into operation on Thursday. The State is opposing the application.
Argument of the applicants started at noon and the State started responding just after 13:00.
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