Dangerous Weapons Act
Carrying a weapon in public can get you three years imprisonment if you get caught.
The Dangerous Weapons Act came to effect on January 2 in Gauteng.
The act involves any dangerous weapon, a firearm, any object which resembles a firearm and that is likely to be mistaken for a firearm.
It is a criminal offence to be in possession of any such item at a gathering.
A contravention of the Act in this regard is punishable with a period not exceeding three years’ imprisonment.
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa gives everyone the right to be free from all forms of violence and guarantees that everyone has the right, peacefully and unarmed, to assemble, to demonstrate, to picket and to present petitions.
What regards to a dangerous weapon is any object other than a firearm, capable of causing death or inflicting serious bodily harm, if it was used for an unlawful purpose.
Section three, one of the Act stipulates that: any person who is in possession of any dangerous weapon under circumstances which may raise a reasonable suspicion that the person intends to use the dangerous weapon for an unlawful purpose, is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding three years.
Section 3 (2) indicates the following factors which must be taken into account, but which are not limited to:
· The place and time where the person is found
· The behaviour of the person, including making any threat or displaying intimidating behaviour.
· The manner in which the object is carried or displayed.
