Court deals with Pistorius guns – Oscar Trial
Murder-accused Oscar Pistorius ordered several firearms from a gun dealer but cancelled the order about a month after he shot dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, the High Court in Pretoria heard on Monday.
Oscar Pistorius is seen during his murder trial at the North Gauteng High Court on Tuesday, 11 March 2014.Pistorius is accused of the murder of model and law graduate Reeva Steenkamp on February 14 last year. She was shot in the arm, hip and head. He is also charged with illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, and two counts of discharging a firearm in public. Picture: Kevin Sutherland/Times Media Group/Pool
Sean Rens, who described himself as a “firearms service provider” as Pistorius’s murder trial resumed, said: “He had a great love and enthusiasm for them.”
He met Pistorius after an introduction by Pistorius’s friend and Daytona owner Justin Divaris in May 2012. Pistorius had been test-driving one of Divaris’s vehicle and the introduction was made.
The first firearm Pistorius sought was a Smith and Wesson 500 revolver and Rens provided it to him.
Over a number of months he bought a number of other firearms while Rens kept a record of the training and assessment of Pistorius.
Rens was given a copy of an invoice and asked by prosecutor Gerrie Nel to confirm that Pistorius had ordered:
- a rifle or carbine vector LM6, which Rens said was a civilian version of the semi-automatic assault rifle that South Africa’s police or military use;
- a Winchester shotgun;
- a Mossberg Maverick shotgun;
- a Smith and Wesson revolver .38 special, the smallest revolver as opposed to the largest, the Smith and Wesson 500;
- a Mossberg semi-automatic self-loading shotgun and
- another self-loading rifle.
Nel said that although these were listed on the invoice, they were not handed over to Pistorius.
This was because the transaction was cancelled about a month close to the “incident”, said Rens, confirming that he meant after the shooting of Steenkamp.
Rens said he “definitely did” establish if Pistorius had a competency card and licence.
Pistorius is accused of the premeditated murder of Steenkamp in his Pretoria home on February 14 last year.
He said he shot her through the closed door of his toilet, apparently believing she was an intruder.
In addition to the murder of Steenkamp, Pistorius is charged with contraventions of the Firearms Control Act. He allegedly fired a shot from a Glock pistol under a table at a Johannesburg restaurant in January 2013.
On September 30, 2012 he allegedly shot through the open sunroof of a car with his 9mm pistol while driving with friends in Modderfontein.
– Sapa
