firearms – praag.org

Firearms Act: Stand together and act, ad hoc group requests

The time has come for organisations to work together to strengthen South Africa. This was the message that was confirmed by almost all role players during yesterday’s meeting of the ad hoc group for the protection of property rights.

This group decided to convene all interested groups to discuss the controversial firearms bill. These amendments amount to a form of expropriation of property, against which the group advises.

The ad hoc group for the protection of property rights is an informal grouping of organisations, organised agriculture and agricultural representatives, civil and civil rights institutions, opposition parties and academics as well as religious institutions. The group meets regularly to discuss any policy frameworks that may harm or undermine property rights and to consider mutual views, actions and initiatives.

“It was good to have a diverse group of organisations together,” said Henry Geldenhuys, the president of TAU SA. “What has become very clear from the groups that attended the event and from the comments of people who followed it through social media, is that action must now be taken to prevent this type of legislation from being implemented.”

“We are experiencing serious problems with the administration and feasibility of existing legislation. It is therefore ridiculous to think that new legislation that will require much more administration will be capable of being implemented successfully.”

TAU SA and Freedom Front Plus have confirmed that they totally disapprove of the bill and will not submit to it.

The group agrees that the bill has yet to progress through the parliamentary process, but that provision must already be made for future legal action.

“In the meantime, we urge all South Africans not to be apathetic towards important issues such as those that restrict basic freedoms like the right to choose. Get involved, make your voice heard, be aware of your safety and what you have to do.”

The group also warned that people should not act recklessly, but should become part of a controlled plan to oppose this legislation. Join the conversation and feel free to comment below!

Eleven firearms seized over the weekend

Eleven firearms were seized during various operations across Gauteng at the weekend, police said on Sunday.

Captain Doniah Mothutsane said two R5 rifles thought to be linked to taxi violence were seized near Sebokeng by members of the Crime Intelligence Unit.

Four revolvers and five pistols with rounds of ammunition were recovered in Mamelodi, Midrand, Boksburg, KwaThema, Akasia and Alexandra.

Mothutsane said 18 people had been arrested for possession of illegal firearms and would appear in various magistrate’s courts across the province.

“As these firearms may be linked to serious and violent crimes, suspects may face further serious charges on further investigations,” she said. – Sapa

Gun sales soar

Owners of guns have been stocking up because they are concerned about a potential tightening of regulations on assault weapons in the president’s second term.

In October the number of background checks on people applying to buy guns, an indicator of future sales, increased by 18.4 per cent.

There was a similar jump when President Obama was first elected in 2008. A total of 12.7 million background checks were carried out that year, up from 11.2 million the year before, and the number has been rising since then.

Shares in weapons manufacturers like Smith & Wesson and Sturm, Ruger also surged after Mr Obama’s re-election.

During the election campaign Mr Obama mostly steered clear of discussing gun control, but in a presidential debate on Oct 16 he gave his clearest statement yet on the issue.

He said: “What I’m trying to do is to get a broader conversation about how do we reduce the violence generally. Part of it is seeing if we can get an assault weapons ban reintroduced.”

President Bill Clinton introduced had restrictions limiting the use of semi-automatic weapons in 1994, but the ban expired in 2004. Under the Clinton-era ban magazines with more than 10 rounds, and weapons with threaded barrels, pistol grips and bayonets were prohibited.

Mr Obama would still have to get any new restrictions past Republicans in Congress, but gun owners say they fear a limiting of their right to bear arms which is enshrined in the Second Amendment to the Constitution.

Mel Bernstein, owner of Dragonman Arms in Colorado Springs, told KOAA-TV that sales of semi-automatic weapons had boomed in recent days.

He said: “We’re going from normally six to eight guns a day, to 25. I stocked up, I got a stockpile of these AK-47s, we’re selling these like hot cakes. Luckily I had an idea of what was going on because it happened with Clinton.”

Mr Bernstein said he normally orders up to 7,000 rounds a week from distributors but could now only get hold of 3,000 because of demand.

John Kielbasa, owner of Fernwood Firearms in Hankins, New York, told CNN: “Sales are up. I had a guy waiting here first thing in the morning (the day after the election.) He came in, bought two AK-47s. It’s going to be good for me for business.” – The Telegraph

‘1202 police firearms missing’ – South African minister

A total of 1202 police firearms have gone missing since the beginning of last year, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa revealed on Wednesday.

Mthethwa said in a written Parliamentary response that 885 firearms were lost or stolen last year and 317 this year. Of those 170 had been recovered.

The Democratic Alliance said the large number of lost police firearms was fuelling an illicit trade in weapons.

“This means that the majority of these dangerous weapons are still out there on the street, most likely being used to commit crime,” said DA spokeswoman Dianne Kohler-Barnard.

“The reality is that the SAPS is fuelling the illegal firearms trade in this country.” – Sapa