Firearms Act: Proposed amendments will promote crime

18 October 2018

The leaked draft amendment bill to the Firearms Control Act that proposes that firearm licences must no longer be issued for self-defence is not only absurd, but will also promote crime.

The latest crime statistics prove that the police do not have crime, and in particular violent crime, under control and thus, the police is failing to perform its constitutional duty to protect the people and their possessions in South Africa.

If the government cannot protect you, then you have the right to protect yourself and your family by all possible means, including owning a firearm for the sake of self-defence. It is also a common law right for all.

The government must stop deceiving itself with the notion that firearms are the cause of the high murder rate in South Africa. The government is simply creating this false impression so as to use it as a smokescreen for its own incompetence.

The disarming of the citizenry will benefit criminals and promote crime, which will increase dramatically as a result.

Even though this information was gleaned from a leaked and possibly outdated draft amendment bill, it still reflects the government and police's reasoning and the FF Plus is committed to oppose it in all possible ways.

The FF Plus supports the possession of firearms and Dr Groenewald is currently busy with the process of tabling a private bill in Parliament which will protect firearm owners' right to possess firearms and which will also ensure that firearm owners will not forfeit their firearms should their licences expire and/or they failed to reapply for a licence in time.

Issued by Pieter Groenewald, FF Plus leader, 18 October 2018