The six-month extension to the firearm amnesty has provided a lifeline for gun owners with expired licenses, giving them until the end of January to renew their licenses.

The amnesty, approved in Parliament at the end of July, will run from August 1 to January 31.

With massive renewal backlogs facing the designated firearms officer (DFO) at Umhlali police station, gun owners have welcomed the extension and have told the Courier that some renewals and applications from as far back as March had yet to be processed.

A Salt Rock resident who asked not to be named claimed the DFO lacked the capacity to manage the firearm application process, stating that he was turned away as there were no ink pads to take fingerprints.

Legal and risk manager for lobby group Afriforum, Marnus Kamfer, said the extension provided a last chance for those with expired licences to legally possess their firearms.

“Firearm owners in possession of an expired “white” licence card should seriously consider making use of the amnesty period to be in legal possession of their firearms again.

“During this period, firearm owners have the opportunity to hand in weapons of which the licences have expired at their nearest police station, after which they can start the process of applying for a weapon’s licence from scratch,” said Kamfer.

The Firearms Control Act states that (expired) firearms for which renewal applications are submitted must be handed in at police stations.

“After they reapply and it is granted, they can collect their firearms and they will be in legal possession of a firearm.

If people do not make use of this amnesty period, if the police find a weapon in your possession and you have an expired white licence, they probably will arrest and charge you with being in possession of an illegal firearm.

“We understand that people who find themselves in this situation are hesitant to hand over their weapons to the police and go through the trouble of re-applying for their licences. However, we encourage them to seek expert help and see the process through to the end to ensure they are able to defend themselves and their families within the framework of the law,” said Kamfer.

Saps had not responded to our request for comment at the time of publication.

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