Sections 24 and 28 of the Firearms Control Act have been declared unconstitutional by the North Gauteng High Court.
All expired firearm licences are now deemed valid pending constitutional amendments to the Firearms Act by parliament.
Section 24 of the Act requires that any person who seeks to renew a licence must do so 90 days before its expiry date, while Section 28 stipulates that if a firearm licence has been cancelled‚ the firearm must be disposed of or forfeited to the state.
Also read: Firearms Control Act stands, despite court case
A 60-day time frame was placed on its disposal, which was to be done through a dealer.
“We urge the community to come and enquire about their firearm licences if they need more information,” said Bedfordview SAPS spokesperson Capt Andrè de Jager.
Firearm owners were previously required to hand in their firearm for destruction after its licence expired, as the firearm was deemed illegal and owners were expected to hand over the firearm to the SAPS.
Also read: Firearm licences must be renewed in time
Following a court ruling this week, this is no longer the case.
“If your firearm license has expired, it is still valid until the amendment to the Act is made by parliament. Only then will we know clearly what the process is regarding renewing firearm licences,” explained de Jager.
