Supreme Court of Appeal: Gun Free SA welcomes the hard hitting judgment of the Supreme Court of Appeal that overturns an urgent interim interdict issued by Judge Bill Prinsloo in the Pretoria High Court in July 2018, which stopped the SAPS from enforcing various provisions of the Firearms Control Act (FCA). The interdict was a serious blow to gun control in South Africa because it disabled the scheme of renewal and termination of firearm licences, by prohibiting the SAPS from demanding or accepting the surrender of firearms by licence-holders, whose licences had expired because they had failed to renew their licence within the prescribed timeframe. The judgment upholds the validity of firearms licence renewal as a cornerstone of the FCA, affirming that the Act prohibits the possession of a firearm unless the holder has a licence, permit or authorisation to do so, thereby criminalising the unlawful possession of a firearm. Under section 24 and section 28 of the FCA, all gun owners are required to renew their firearm licences on a regular basis.

STATEMENT: SCA upholds international principle of regular gun licence renewals

COURT PAPERS: Supreme Court of Appeal ruling overturning High Court licence renewals interdict

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