A new six-month Firearm Amnesty period – from August 1, 2020, until January 31, 2021 – was approved by Parliament last week.

The previous amnesty period, which was also intended for a period of six months (between December 2019 and May 2020) was thwarted by the unexpected Covid-19 pandemic. Despite this, the South African Police Service (SAPS) received a resounding 46,714 firearms.

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“However, we believe there are many more firearms out there that still need to be surrendered and we are confident that the response to the previous amnesty would have been even more resounding if it were not for the pandemic. The restrictions of levels five and four somewhat prevented people from turning in illegal as well as unlicensed and unwanted firearms and ammunition,” said police spokesperson Colonel Brenda Muridili.

This prompted the Minister of Police, General Bheki Cele, to approach Parliament to approve a new application for a six-month amnesty period. The approval of the new application has since been published in the Government Gazette on July 31, 2020, which now allows all persons with illegal or unwanted firearms, as well as ammunition, to hand them in at their nearest police station.

“We are urging people to take advantage of this period to hand in firearms and ammunition, either for destruction or renewal of a competency certificate and a valid licence. The latest national crime statistics once again show that firearms were the preferred weapon in the commission of most violent crimes. Reducing the circulation of firearms may potentially reduce the scourge of violent crimes quite significantly,” added Col Muridili.

The Firearm Amnesty envisages to see a reduced number of illegally possessed firearms in circulation in the country. It therefore provides firearm owners with the opportunity to hand in illegal and unwanted firearms, which will hopefully result in the prevention of crime and the promotion of safety for all South African citizens.

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It must be noted that no indemnity will be granted for firearms used to commit a crime. All firearms that have been handed in will undergo ballistic testing to ensure they have not been used in the commission of any crimes, before they can be considered for destruction.

For Firearm Amnesty enquiries, please contact the FLASH Call Centre on 012-353-6111 or email cfrenquiry@saps.gov.za

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