Can Regulations Issued under Lockdown lead to Disarmament of Citizens ?
Date: Vol 16-15
NHSA NEWSLETTER
VOL. 16 (15) - 23-04-2020
NATSHOOT: MAINTAINING DEDICATED STATUS FOR 2020
Dear member,
1. We have a number of dedicated members asking what they should do as the Covid-19 lockdown might cause them not to be able to complete their required activities for 2020 in order to retain their dedicated status.
2. Natshoot Exco’s take on the issue is that members should please be patient and let us first see how the current lockdown, and its possible extension, will affect opportunities for members to complete the second part of maintaining dedicated status. The first part is being paid-up on or past 30 November of the specific reporting year.
3. In essence the bare minimum of requirements to retain dedicated status for 2020, apart from being paid-up on 30 November annually, require dedicated members to get to a shooting range on at least two occasions to complete the number of required activities in the remaining 7 months between 1 May 2020 and 30 November 2020 (that is if they have not yet logged target scores, practice targets or other activities before the lockdown initiated on 27 March 2020).
4. At Natshoot the required activities to maintain dedicated status can be broken down into two targets shot on two separate occasions for annual maintenance of dedicated hunter status and into two targets shot on two separate occasions for annual maintenance of dedicated sports-person status.
5. Remember a target counting towards maintaining dedicated hunter status and another target counting towards maintaining dedicated sports-person status can be shot on the same day.
6. For maintaining dedicated hunter status - use Natshoot practice target and enter as an activity under hunting-related activities; target shooting (practice), on your Natshoot Member Portal - Download Target Here
6.1 See which activities are accepted as applicable to annually maintain dedicated hunter status here
7. For maintaining dedicated sports-person status - use Natshoot practice target and enter as activity under sport shooting related activities; target shooting (practice), on your Natshoot Member Portal. Download Target Here
OR
7.1 For maintaining dedicated sports-person status - use Natshoot postal target of the exercise relevant to the specific firearm you use and enter under Scores on your Natshoot Member Portal. Download the specific postal target relevant to the exercise for the firearm you use here.
7.2 Remember one approved postal target score of the postal targets you shoot on one day, automatically transfers to your activities page as one required sport shooting related activity.
7.3 See which activities are accepted as applicable to annually maintain dedicated sport-person status here
8. If government’s management of the spread of the Covid-19 virus still has a negative effect on the possibility of our members getting to a shooting range on two separate occasions between 1 October 2020 and 30 November 2020, Exco will make the necessary arrangements to ascertain that dedicated members retain their dedicated status irrespective. We shall advise members accordingly at the time.
9. As you have time on your hands during the current lockdown, it might be the right time to read the web page relating to annual maintenance of dedicated status NOW.
10. Remember maintaining dedicate status on an annual basis with the accredited association you have the status with, has nothing to do with the frequency of use of your firearms licensed under section 16.
11. In accordance with section 24(3) of the Firearms Control Act (60 of 2000) (FCA), SAPS may request you to show that you have used a firearm for the purpose it was originally licensed for when you apply for renewal of the licence (i.e. hunting or sport shooting). That is something totally different from you having to annually maintain your dedicates status.
12. Proving relevant use of a specific firearm licensed under your name is easily done by using your Natshoot Activities & Scores Report, which document is constantly updated as you diligently enter activities or scores and can be downloaded from your My NHSA Documents page on your Natshoot Member Portal.
13. If members are not yet aware thereof, please be certain that Natshoot is in the business of protecting the firearms ownership of its members at all times. We are not in the business of making compliance with the already technically difficult stipulations of the FCA and its Regulations re legal firearms ownership more difficult than they already are. We will protect our members' firearm ownership at all cost and at all times.
Please keep safe and responsible to the utmost during our country’s fight against this very dangerous virus we have in our midst.
Kind regards, Natshoot Office
All members notified of the posting of this Newsletter via Email on 23 April 2020.