NHSA NEWSLETTER
VOL. 16 (37) - 22-07-2020
COVID-19: RENEWAL OF FIREARM LICENCES
Dear Member,
PLEASE DO NOT BE LATE WITH FIREARM LICENCE RENEWAL APPLICATIONS
1. We are aware that there are numerous police stations or just DFO offices closed due to Covid-19,
2. The Minster of Police is on record that renewal applications will be accepted within the 90 day period before the licence lapses because of challenges police officials and stations face due to Covid-19.
3. He, however, also said that SAPS will not accept renewal applications once a licence has lapses.
Our advice to members in the following scenarios are:
4. Your police station is open, but your DFO is booked off due to Covid-19 and no-one can assist you.
4.1 You go to the charge office and write in the occurrence book that you were at that station to hand in a renewal application but that the DFO was not there due to being booked off due to Covid-19 and that you could not hand in your application.
4.2 Take a cell phone pic of your inscription (cover all other inscriptions in the occurrence book with paper so that you only take a pic of your inscription). This gives you some legal backing in future if you are not successful in handing in your renewal application on time.
4.3 Then you follow the advice in paragraph 5 below.
5. Your Police station is closed due to Covid-19
5.1 Please visit the following closest police station. There you go to the DFO and ask for his/her assistance with your renewal application. If he/she refuses, you go to the charge office and write in the occurrence book that you were at that station to hand in a renewal application because your station is closed due to Covid-19, but that the DFO at this station did not want to assist you.
5.2 Take a cell phone pic of your inscription (cover all other inscriptions in the occurrence book with paper so that you only take a pic of your inscription). This gives you some legal backing in future if you are not successful in handing in your renewal application on time.
6. You send an Email to [email protected] indicating the process you went through and that your station was closed due to Covid-19 (give name of station) and that the next station (give name of station) did not want to assist you with accepting your renewal application.
7. You do the above every time you cannot hand in your renewal application at that your station or at the neighbouring station.
8. Members are advised to also renew their competency for the specific firearm type they submit a renewal application for. Remember the fact that you have one competency document does not mean all your competencies for all types of firearms you possess are valid (make certain – it is after all just paper work).
9. Members can also try an follow the above advice regarding submissions of all firearm related applications.
It remains the Natshoot contention that the most certain way of not being disarmed is to make sure that our firearms remain licensed as per the legal prescripts.
Kind Regards, Natshoot Office
The posting of this Newsletter communicated to all members via Email on 22 July 2020.