News

29 June 2009 : SAPS Directive

Page 1, Page 2, Page 3. Thanks to a GOSA member who found and scanned it. What are you doing?

Also available in PDF.

25 June 2009 : Court rules gun licenses valid until act tested

Victory to SA Hunters.

24 June 2009 : What is wrong with the FCA?

What is wrong with the FCA?

8 June 2009: SA Hunt applies for urgent interdict against FCA

Read the court papers and support SA Hunt.

27 May 2009: GOSA INSTRUCTS ITS LEGAL REPRESENTATIVES TO INTERDICT THE UNLAWFUL UNCONSTITUTIONAL 'LAPSING' OF FIREARMS LICENCES ISSUED UNDER THE ARMS AND AMMUNITION ACT 75 OF 1969

One of the main provisos of the Act - the compensation provisions which the state law advisors insisted upon, to give this Act the appearance of passing constitutional muster - has never been brought into operation. The Justice Alliance of SA is hauling the CFR before the Court on August 31 to bring the compensation provisions into operation.

7 May 2009 : Cost and effectiveness of the Firearms Control Act (FCA 2000)

Our Firearms Control Act was budgeted at 2.18 billion rands. And it was based on the Canadian gun registry.

If you read the Breitkreuz article below, you'll see that the Canadian registry exceeded the budget by, oh, a factor of 300 or so. That would be 30 000 %, stratospheric, Zimbabwean-inflation-order-of-magnitude, however you want to explain it, it's ugly.

There's a very good chance that our Firearms Control Act is also, let's say, a little over budget, like its Canadian counterpart. Oh, and of course, it hasn't really succeeded in the goal set out in the opening paragraph of the Act, namely "reducing crime", has it?

Or as Brett Nortje so eloquently phrased it

As jy moerig is omdat die ouditeur generaal nog nooit 'n oudit gedoen het op die VuurwapenbeheerWet wat die afgelope 10 jaar al 'geimplementeer' word, met hernuwings wat drie jaar agterstallig is en daar nog nie 'n sent se vergoeding uitbetaal is vir vuurwapens wat ingehandig is nie, bel hom, vra hom wat gaan aan.

Mail: PO Box 446, PRETORIA, 0001
Street: Auditor-General Building, 300 Middle Street, New Mucleneuk, PRETORIA
Tel: (012) 426 8000

Fax: (012) 426 8257

Auditor-General
Mr Terrence Nombembe
Tel: (012) 426 8401 / 8409
Fax: (012) 426 8257

April 2009 : Gary Breitkreuz trying to scrap the Canadian Long Gun Registry

Gary Breitkreuz introduced a bill to scrap the expensive, useless Canadian gun registry.

When the gun registry was first introduced in 1995, the previous government promised it would cost approximately $2 million to taxpayers to implement over five years. In her 2002 audit, however, the Auditor General of Canada reported that the program's costs had skyrocketed to more than $600 million and moreover, due to a lack of solid financial information, that is, the government was hiding costs, she believed this figure did not fairly represent the true costs of the program.

14 April 2009 : An anti-gunner's position

Kevin over at The Smallest Minorty found an anti prepared to debate the gun issue with him. The anti came up with the following perfect cameo before he succumbed to mental exhausion :

The difference in this debate is that I have been arguing on the basis of what I believe to be true, and doing my best to explain why I believe it. Kevin, by way of contrast, claims to be able to literally ‘prove’ his case beyond any doubt whatsoever by recourse to detailed statistical data.

1 April 2009 : Press Release

Gun Owners of South Africa (GOSA) note with dismay the chaos and dysfunction in the SAPS as it goes through the dishonourable motions of trying to cover up the failed implementation of the Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000.

Click here for the complete Press Release.

Also, a Press Release from the Black Gun Owners Association of South Africa, Gun Licence Renewal Deadline a Fiasco.

29 March 2009 : "Comply because at the end of the day because you, as an individual in South Africa, are going to suffer..." -- Jaco Bothma, head of CFR, on Carte Blanche

18 March 2009 : "8000 SAPS firearms lost"

From http://news.iafrica.com/sa/1335778.htm.

Police firearms stolen, lost, recovered and unaccounted for :

Yes, that's right, 7 396 police firearms entered the criminal pool in the last three years. Not only are the criminals better armed than we are, but we're paying for those firearms with our tax money.

17 March 2009 Edited table below to include firearms handed in for destruction.  

16 March 2009 : From a Freedom Front press release

Firearm licence renewal figures from the CFR, via questions in Parliament.

To recap:

So firstly, they're at the moment processing applications received half-way through 2007, running about two years late on a a four year renewal process. This is atrocious.

Secondly, looks like the jails will be somewhat crowded when 2.4 million otherwise law-abiding citizens are locked up later this year.

13 March 2009 : Marko nails it again

If you think that guns shouldn’t be in private hands "because the police will protect you", you do believe in using a gun to defend your life. You’re just outsourcing the job to a cop, that’s all. (link)

And if your counter-argument is that the police are more responsible / better trained / the right people to have guns, they lost 2 500 guns again last year.

9 March 2009 : GOSA member drives off goblins

On Sunday, a Gauteng member had some uninvited visitors.

By being armed AND by being able to see the attackers preparing to assault
the house on CCTV we managed to thwart the attack drive off the attackers
(one bleeding profusely). This fellow left behind his good condition CZ75
9mmP in his haste to escape.

Were it not for our firearms (and the skills and determination to use them)
we would have been reduced to being trapped in our bedroom at the mercy of
the merciless!

3 March 2009 : Sanlam cancels hunting trip

Sanlam cancelled a planned hunting expedition after receiving complaints from animal rights organisations.

Perhaps you should be complaining to Sanlam about them pandering to a vocal minority.

(021) 947-9111
Postal address:
Sanlam Complaints,
P.O. Box 1, Sanlamhof, 7532
E-mail: life@sanlam.co.za
mailto: life@sanlam.co.za
Fax: 021 947 9440

22 January 2009 : The deadline approaches

If you were born in October, November, or December, you need to apply for the renewal of your firearm licences before the end of March.

If you decide to hand in your firearms, claim compensation. JASA is taking the state to court on this matter, and things are set to become interesting.

According to the law, existing (old) licences are valid until June 2009. According to some interpretations of the Constitution, old licences were granted for life and cannot be revoked. Make your choice wisely, and stick to your guns!

31 October 2008 : Interview on SAFM with Joseph Dube and Martin Hood

Download 3.4 meg mp3 file here (thanks to Peter Moss).

17 October 2008 : Firearms Compensation Case - Cape Town High Court

From JASA news :

Papers have been filed in which JASA claims several declarations on the basis of breaches of the Constitution by the Minister of Safety and Security and the Commissioner of Police. The Respondents should have filed their defence by Sep 30th but have asked for an extension to Oct 27th. They are taking some technical points which suggests they are short of any meritorious defence!

All it needs for us to win this one is money. Donations to bank account below, please.

JASA TAKES MINISTER NQAKULA, JACKIE SELEBI AND FIREARMS APPEAL BOARD TO COURT

JASA has filed papers in the Cape High Court seeking declarations that the refusal to pay compensation to persons who surrender firearms as required by the Firearms Control Act, 2000 offends against the Constitution.

A court case will cost money. This is your chance to support something that in the end can only benefit you as a gun owner.

Deposits to be made to: 

Grant Gunston Attorneys Trust Account 
ABSA Bank Acc No: 4054263373 
Branch Code: 505309
Ref GHW 2389

Enquiries: John Smyth QC, 083 653 8804

Pretoria News : 30 July 2008 : Court broadsides firearms licence board

A Pretoria high court acting judge on Tuesday had harsh words for the police and the Firearms Licence Appeal Board for the manner in which they handled the application for firearm licences by an antique firearms collector.

Acting Judge Piet Ebersohn said there was a "lack of competency" by both the police and the Appeal Board in this regard.

Ebersohn severely criticised members of the board for not having sufficient knowledge of firearms.

"None of them have any specific knowledge of firearms except that, which they gained in criminal cases," Ebersohn said.

He said presiding officers in criminal cases where firearms are involved merely hear evidence relating to the firearm and don't gain experience in firearms or the collection thereof.

Ebersohn said the chairman of the Appeal Board admitted that he was not a firearm expert.

"When you sit as a member of an appeal board considering applications by serious and registered (firearm) collectors to enhance their collections, you at least have to be an expert yourself in that field in order to do justice to the applications you consider," he said.

Ebersohn yesterday ordered the Appeal Board to "immediately issue" four firearm licences to collector George Black.

Black turned to court in desperation after he was refused licences for the four firearms he wanted to add to his collection.

Black's collection initially consisted of 62 firearms, some of which date back from the First World War to the Boer War.

Ebersohn said it was clear that Black's collection was structured scientifically and logically, and was sophisticated, and that he had valid licences for all the firearms.

Black applied for licences for five more firearms - three Luger pistols, one BRNO pistol and a military Mauser rifle. The Commissioner of Police refused licences for all five weapons on a standard refusal letter.

The commissioner found the weapons "did not fit into the theme of collection".

Ebersohn said the conduct of the official who declined the application, Director Jaco Botha, "made a mockery of the process of registering as a collector and registering specific themes".

"One gets the unfortunate impression that the third respondent (chairman) merely rubber stamped the refusals," Ebersohn said.

He ordered that Black be issued with licences. (Scanned article)

Submissions by 2008-07-31 : Disbanding of Scorpions

The government remains determined to force the legislation to disestablish the Scorpions through Parliament, despite your good efforts to be heard. Parliament has today published a public notice indicating they require public submissions regarding the proposed legislation to be received by latest 12:00 on the 28th of July.

We have contacted the opposition parties and they are prepared to accept your letters by fax and email and submit it on your behalf to the chairs of the parliamentary portfolio committees.

I urge all of you to write a letter today stating why you believe this will be the wrong move and that it will seriously affect your safety and the functioning of law enforcement and prosecution in South Africa. The letter does not have to be long, just specific and to the point. There is no set format. A submission can be a simple letter of support or opposition, or it can be a longer document with suggestions for changes. The important thing is to say what you want to say clearly. The following tips may help you when preparing your submission or petition:

Usually, the shorter and simpler the better. If your document is long, write a summary. Your summary should briefly outline your main points and recommendations. If you are making the submission as an individual, explain why you want to comment on the legislation. If you are making the submission as an organisation, describe the organisation: Who are its members? Why are they concerned about this amendment? Does the organisation have special expertise or experience in this issue? Explain your point of view. Say whether you want to support or oppose the matter. If you want to suggest changes, explain what they are. Use the language you feel most comfortable with.

The letter should be addressed to any of the following persons:

Mr V Ramaano or Ms P Sibisi or Mr J Michaels. 
Committee secretaries of the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional
Development and Portfolio committee on Safety and Security 
3rd  Floor 90 Plein Street 
Cape Town 8000.  

If you wish to make a verbal presentation please indicate this in the letter and which province you wish to do this in. (Public hearings in the provinces will be heard from the 11th to the 15th of August)

Or submit to your political representative: To make it easier for here are the the opposition parties who have agreed to accept your letter by fax or email and deliver them on your behalf to the Portfolio committees. Please decide which party you wish to trust in getting your submission in front of the portfolio committee.

ACDP
Fax: (021) 461 9690
E-mail: sswart@parliament.gov.za
or  abouwer@parliament.gov.za

IFP
Fax 021 461 9317
E-mail: ehorn@ifp.co.za
Attn: Mr van De Merwe

Independent Democrats.
Fax: 021 403 2350
E-mail: media@id.org.za
Attn Steve.

UDM
Fax: 021 403 2525
E-mail: info@udm.org.za
Attn: Mr Madikiza

DA
Fax: 086 620 6329
E-mail: reganj@da.org.za
Attn: Regan.

2008-07-04 : How Anthony Altbeker got it wrong -- Understanding the failure of crime prevention. A paper by Eric Pelser.

2008-06-25 : From Marko's blog

MarkHB Says:
June 25, 2008 at 4:19 pm

I live in a gun-banned country, the UK. I noticed an article in the news about a young girl who’d been kicked to death by a bunch of youths for being a goth. Her boyfriend was also severely beaten. Occasionally, a week goes past without a stabbing making the news - but there are so many, not all stabbings make the news.

Roll that one ’round your cranial vault a few times - there are so many stabbings in the UK, that they aren’t considered newsworthy enough, unless it’s a celebrity - some actor in the Harry Potter movies was stabbed to death at a nightclub, and that made the news. A couple of weeks prior, a guy was stabbed to death at a club about seven minutes walk from my front door, and that barely made the local papers.

This is gun control.

There are usually two shootings a month here. Of course, if ever anyone does defend themselves, they’re sent down for it - one ex-serviceman who made “a citizen’s arrest” of a youth who’d been throwing bricks at his house got to spend three months defending himsef against charges of kidnapping while the vandal got off scott-free.

This is gun control.

There’s talk of installing “knife arches” (that’s “metal detectors” to the corticate) in all schools and indeed pubs to prevent people from carrying knives. It’s illegal to carry a knife in public without “a good reason” as far as the arresting officer’s concerned. Parents are buying armoured blazers (school jackets) for their young.

This is gun control.

It’s even illegal to wear the traditional flat-cap into the pub in Yorkshire, because they interfere with the closed-circuit television cameras’ ability to see your face. The home secretary advises not going out after midnight. People are not safe in their towns, their homes or their person - and are bereft of any legal way to defend themselves.

This is gun control.

Gun control leads to the dominance of the brutish, the lawless, and the vicious many. Gun control leads to totalitarian laws restricting and confining law-abiding citizens in an ineffectual and ham-fisted attempt to “make us all safe”. Gun control leads to the delusion that things can be made safe by tougher legal penalties, and by banning items rather than punishing actions.

This is gun control. I’m living it’s reality. I wouldn’t wish it on an enemy.

May 20, 2008 : Statement by the South African Institute of Race Relations on causal factors behind the violent unrest in and around Johannesburg - 20th May 2008

Failure to maintain the rule of law

The government’s repeated failures to bring levels of violent crime under control contributed to an environment which saw people resort to violence without fear of arrest or successful prosecution. In failing to maintain the rule of law the state had conditioned many poor communities to violent behaviour. The failure to protect communities from criminal elements and to remove those elements had allowed criminals to take full advantage of chaos and disorder to rob, rape, and loot during the violent uprisings.

Incompetence in the ministry of safety and security, falling standards in the South African Police Service, corruption up to the highest levels of the police, and affirmative action had eroded the capacity of the police to provide a safe and secure environment in South Africa. [...]

Warnings to this effect from a variety of sources had been largely ignored or treated with arrogance and contempt from the office of the minister of safety and security downwards. That not a single minister or deputy minister responsible for law and order, justice, or prisons was dismissed over close on ten years of Thabo Mbeki’s presidency suggests that the government was either unable to identify the risks presented by lawlessness or had resigned itself to the consequences.

May 24, 2008 : The Metropolitan Shooting Association annual game festival is on at the Parow North Athletic Club. It starts at 19:00 and cost is R100. Contact Thomas Eastes for more information.

April 29, 2008 : Firearm Registry chaos.

April 8, 2008 : SA Crime Statistics 2001 to 2006 in PDF.

March 9, 2008 : Martin Hedington (GOSA Gauteng Regional Advocacy Director) was interviewed on SAFM, talking about Richard Wesson's book Conditioned Victim, which is published by Martin. Download the (3.4M) transcript here (Thanks to Peter Moss). If your firewall doesn't allow downloading mp3 files, try the zip.

December 14, 2007 : The SAPS is still supplying the criminals with firearms confiscated from law-abiding citizens. Viva Fireams Control Act, Viva!

December 11, 2007 :

So I hear that somewhere in the U.S. of A., a guy walked into a mall
and offed eight people before eating his gun.  Somewhere else, a guy
shot some folks in a church, and then got center-punched by a member
of the congregation at church #2 before making it more than fifty
feet into the building.  Hmmm....I wonder if there's a lesson there
somewhere.

I've said it before, but it bears repeating: the only thing that will
stop an armed attacker on the spot is a person with a gun of their own.
Gun haters realize this as well, which is why they rarely ever suggest
disarming the police.  They, too, rely on the gun to protect themselves
from harm--they just feel all high and mighty because they outsource the
task.

The number of casualties at the site of an attempted mass shooting is
usually determined by whether the gun used to stop the killer is already
at the site, or whether it must be carried there in the holster of a
police officer. -- Marko Kloos.

November 2007 : Please comment on the latest draft of the Firearm Control Regulations.

October 18, 2007 :

Is it the bodyguards around you
Is it the high walls where you live
Or is it the men with the guns around you
Twenty four hours a day
That make you ignore the crying of the people
Farmers get killed everyday
And you say it is not that bad
Policemen get killed everyday
And you say it is not that bad
Maybe if you see it through the eyes
Of the victims
You will join us and fight this

October 14, 2007 :Sure we believe you, Mr President. "I prepared myself psychologically to be raped and knew that I could access the AZT anti-HIV cocktail at one of the private hospitals nearby. Many women survive rape in this country."

August 2007 : GFSA website now online.

July 4, 2007 : GOSA Press Release : We told you so!

July 4, 2007 : According to the PMG, the Justice Department and various other government departments are currently engaged in a process of drafting implementations plans for a Victims Charter. This is an opportunity to give input.

• Castle Doctrine : You should be within your rights to use lethal force against an intruder in your own home or on your property. Currently you have to prove that lethal force was necessary. This is wrong. It should be up to the state to prove that lethal force was not necessary.

July 3, 2007 : DA Press Release : Lack of SANDF Weapon Control a Disgrace.

June 1, 2007 : "It does not necessarily indicate a crisis if there has been 100% increase in one crime category." -- National Police Commissioner André Pruis.

May 29, 2007 : Ever wonder where the bad guys get guns and ammunition? 16 firearms "ordered" by criminals found in police custody. 40 000 rounds of ammunition also "disappeared" from the same storage facility.

May 21, 2007 :How Terrorists are stopped -- Joseph Farah mentions Charl van Wyk, GOSA national co-ordinator.

May 10, 2007 :The strange thing in South Africa is that when armed civilians defend themselves and their families, they are charged with murder. Yet, when a policeman shoots a criminal, no charges are laid.

April 17, 2007 : Press release : Virginia Tech, USA Shooting Rampage

April 16, 2007 : Randy Cassingham's Blog: Virginia Tech, Columbine and ZT

March 30, 2007 : The news programme on various radio stations are saying that licenced firearm owners born between April and June have to relicence by tomorrow or hand their firearms in for destruction. This is a lie spread by a press release from the victim disarmament guys.

All licences remain valid until June 2009! And even then, the state owes you compensation. So hold on to your firearms!

March 2, 2007 : If you are in the unfortunate situation of having your firearm stolen, this article from the Cape Times will come in handy. Quote : "Sinyangana said a report on Daniels' missing firearm would be circulated so police could be on the look-out for it. He said Daniels would not be charged with negligence because he was a victim of crime". Note : Ganief Daniels is the Western Cape Deputy Police Commisioner, and he was carrying a firearm in his briefcase along with R 9000 cash when it was stolen.

January 16, 2007 : The first draft of the proposed Amendments to the Firearm Control Regulations of 2004 has been released.

January 11, 2007 : If someone wearing a balaclava points a gun at you and beats you with a chair, it's probably the police. Shocking, but true.

January 10, 2007 : Gun Laws and Sudden Death -- did the Australian gun ban of 1996 make any difference?

January 2, 2007 : Family murders always seem to happen around Christmas. This year was, unfortunately, no exception. As always, it seems that our police service heads the list, as the following articles illustrate :

• 2006-12-01 : Policeman kills wife, then himself
• 2006-12-23 : Cop shoots wife after party
• 2006-12-30 : Cop kills girlfriend, son

December 31, 2006 : State losing legitimacy as it fails to protect -- Sunday Times.

November 30, 2006 : The Firearms Control Amendment Bill has been published in the Government Gazette.

B12C-2006 is the Portfolio Committee amendments.
B12D-2006 is the main document.

October 30, 2006 : The ICD "REPORT ON THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE MISSING FIREARMS AND RELATED MATTERS AT DURBAN METRO POLICE" is available for download.

"We have also discovered that the Central Firearms Registry (CFR) has also contributed to the problems in their failure to effectively implement the provisions of the Firearms Control Act and the regulations promulgated under the Act."

October 30, 2006 : On Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs.

September 21, 2006 : If you carry a firearm with you for self-defence, you need to take a look at GUNSURE which is aimed at providing legal help to keep you out of jail after you were forced to shoot someone. It has other benefits too.

September 12, 2006 : We hear that the President has signed the Firearms Control Amendment Bill. If you have one of those recently de-regulated muzzle-loaders, you now need a competency certificate for it. If it's a cap and ball revolver, you now need a licence. Some sanity prevailed, and you don't need a permit for your silencer as was proposed in the drafts.

The main reason for having an Amendment Bill in the first place, namely that three quarters of legal firearm owners have so far decided not to renew their licences, has not been addressed at all. (The first draft made provisions to scrap relicencing, subsequent revisions dropped that idea like a hot potato -- strange, since it's actually the relicencing that's the hot potato). Come May 2010, the number of licenced firearms in the country will drop to one quarter. The number of unlicenced firearms will go up by around two and a half million or so. This will most likely be seen as a victory of some sort.

August 25, 2006 : Massmart has released a statement showing that violent crime is up 20% this year.

August 24, 2006 : The Democratic Alliance has launched the Victims of Crime website.

"The DA believes that the state should be a caring institution that puts ordinary people, their issues and their concerns at the very top of its agenda. Under the ANC government, however, the state is a ‘cold’ institution, uncaring and unsympathetic to the experiences of people on the ground."

August 17, 2006 : CAPE TOWN - The CRIME EXPO SOUTH AFRICA website is now 100% functional. Please support Neil Watson in his fight against crime.

August 2, 2006 : Apparently South African roads are not dangerous enough to warrant carrying a firearm.

25 Mei 2006 : Persverklaring deur Thomas Eastes, WESA : Kanadese besin oor duur en onpraktiese wapen wetgewing.

April 2006 : Our online shop is open for business.

April 2006 : You can now join GOSA online using your VISA or MasterCard.

March 2006 : Join our Online Forum where you will find newspaper articles, letters by GOSA members, educational articles, and other writings.

February 2006 : A large number of Pieter van Wyk's submissions on the Firearm Act have been scanned and placed online.

December 2005 : An Introduction to Gun Owners of South Africa by Charl van Wyk, our National Co-ordinator.