Be safe and sure about firearm storage
According to Greenwood Park police station spokesperson Sergeant Vincent Mthembu, there have been many cases where registered firearms are used in criminal activities.
GREENWOOD Park police has urged firearm owners to safeguard their rifles. According to Greenwood Park police station spokesperson Sergeant Vincent Mthembu, there have been many cases where registered firearms are used in criminal activities.
Mthembu said,”Not properly safeguarded firearms generally land in the wrong hands. In a recent incident a community member’s house was broken into. And because he did not have a safe for his firearms, the criminals fled with three rifles. We believe that had they been stored in a safe, this could have been prevented.”
In terms of Firearms Control Act no, 60 of 2000 the firearm must be always kept in a safe when not in use. Any person who fails to uphold this law may be declared unfit to possess a firearm.
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“The registrar may declare a person unfit to possess a firearm if ,on the grounds of information contained in a statement under oath. So I urge the community to safeguard their firearms because one firearm in the hands of the criminals is a danger to the entire community,” added Mthembu.
He also reiterated the importance of renewing gun licences. According to the figures provided by the Central Firearms Registry, currently there are between 420 000 and 470 000 people in South Africa with expired gun licenses.
“Renewing gun licences is just as important as keeping them in a safe place. If you feel that you don’t need firearm anymore you may surrender it to your nearest police station. All you need to do is handing it over along with ammunition and the applicable licence,” Mthembu ended.
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