FAQs

QUESTION 1

Will the renewal of firearm licenses fall away?

ANSWER 1

It is our respectful opinion that the renewal of firearm licenses will not fall away as this will also then defeat the purpose of arms diary. If one applies simple calculation and taking into account that the current fees for the renewal of a firearm license is R70.00 (as of September 2018) and the fact that there is nearly 4 million riffles in South Africa, the sum will equate to a substantial amount of money which the government will not be entitled to.

It is for this very reason that we anticipate that the renewal of firearm licenses will not fall away, as this will also defeat the purpose of the act. The firearm controls act specifically makes provision for the “regulation and control” of firearms and as such is the renewal of said firearms a system to control and regulate firearms in the hand of the public. We therefore do not for see, despite various organisation making such comments, that the renewal of firearm licenses will fall away. If anything, it may be that the costs for renewal of a license will increase, which will correlate with noises made by the SAPS during recent meetings.

QUESTION 2

What happens if my renewal of my license has not been filed in time?

ANSWER 2

In terms of the firearms controls act, licenses need to be renewed within a specified period prior to its lapsing. The firearms control act makes provision that a license must be renewed at least 90 days before the expiry of such license. The only logical conclusion to this would be the fact that it takes approximately 90 days for the license to be re-issued. This make sense and will the applicant not be in possession of a

firearm which he or she will not be able to use. The act does make provision for the fact that you may file and renew your licence within the period 90 days prior to the expiration of the license and the actual lapsing of your license, but requires that good cause be shown as to why the renewal is late. In order to avoid this, it is the very purpose for which Arms Diary was brought into existence and to help our customers to make sure that any renewals are made on time and that no reason need to be forward as to why such renewal application is late.

We do appreciate that some of our customers will be in a position in which they will not be able to renew their licenses in time, we invite those customers to contact us so that we may assist them in making the necessary applications. In the event that a firearm has lapsed, the applicant will not be in a position to use the firearm and in terms the current act will need to surrender the firearm to the SAPS for destruction.

QUESTION 3

What is the current status?

ANSWER 3

In terms of the current status and recent case law considered by the Appeals Court, the application by SA Hunters was dismissed which effectively meant that all licence holders of which their licences have expired, are required to hand in their firearms for destruction. However, gun owners of South Africa (GOSA) soon thereafter launched another application and was successful (interim relief).

We specifically use the word interim, as the SAPS have not finalised and adhered to the order. The current status is that firearms of which the licenses have expired may be renewed by the license holder, but that good cause must still be shown. What the exact meaning of good cause entails, we cannot tell, as it has not been tested in Court.

In our opinion, and please note this remains a mere opinion, good cause shown will really need to go to the root of why an applicant failed to timeously renew his or her firearm license. A mere suggestion that you forgot to renew your license will not constitute good cause shown and as a result will the applicant be forced to surrender his or her firearm. As of 18 September 2018 we are still awaiting the announcement of an amnesty period by the SAPS which will allow applicants to renew their licenses despite such license having expired.

One of our directors recently approached the local police station and was advised that the system is not open for renewal and that they are still awaiting instruction for head office, this despite the Court order ordering that the SAPS accept renewals.

Therefore, please do not “kill” the officer at your local police station as he is not the one that is delaying the process, but CFR which have not instituted the correct procedure and requirements and renewal of such licenses.

QUESTION 4

What do I do with my current firearm of which the license have expired?

ANSWER 4

This is a very simple answer. We suggest that you remain in control and possession of such firearm but safely store the firearm in your safe. We anticipate that the SAPS will announce an amnesty period shortly, after which we invite our members to contact us to assist with the renewal of such firearms, especially with respect to motivations which must include “good cause shown” in order to be able and in a position to renew the relevant firearm license.

QUESTION 5

How does the billing work for Arms Diary?

ANSWER 5

Arms diary charges our customers a mere R10.00 per year per firearm which are listed on our system. This effectively equates to approximately R100.00 per riffle over a period of 10 years which generally would constitute the time for the renewal for a license in terms of Section 15, 16 and 17. In the event that riffles are registered in terms of Section 13 alternatively 14 which makes provision for a 5 year renewal period it will equate to about R50.00 per rifle until such renewal is due.

QUESTION 6

How does the reminder system work?

ANSWER 6

Arms Diary will send out various reminders of which the first reminder will be sent to our customer approximately 180 days prior to the date of the expiry of your firearm license i.e. approximately 90 days before the cut-off date for renewal of your license.

A second reminder will be sent to our customers approximately a 120 days prior to the expiry of your license and a final reminder will be sent out at approximately a 100 days prior to the expiry of your license.

Keep in mind that you are required to renew your license 90 days prior to its date of expiration, failing which you will still be allowed to make application to renew a license on good cause shown. In order to avoid the unfortunate event of a court case in which you need to prove that you have good cause, we strongly recommend to our members to proceed and renew your license on time.

The reminders that will be sent out by Arms Diary may include a sms alternatively an e-mail sent to your chosen e-mail address. Please note that it remains the responsibility of our member to ensure that their details are up to date on our system as we take no responsibility for sending out e-mails to a wrong email address as enrolled on our system. Therefore make sure that your details are up to date so that we can keep in touch with you.

QUESTION 7

What happens in the event that I sell my firearm?

ANSWER 7

In the event that you should sell your firearm, please complete the necessary forms on our system, to remove your riffle from the system. This will automatically result in your billing relating to the particular rifle to be cancelled.

We humbly request you to notify your new buyer of our services and hopefully we can assist him or her in future in order to successfully remind them of any upcoming renewals which are due in future.