South Africa’s Firearms Control Act (2000) requires that all gun owners hold a valid firearm licence, which must be regularly renewed. Under the FCA it is a criminal offence carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment to possess a firearm without a valid licence.
After years of legal challenges, South Africa’s highest courts have repeatedly upheld the constitutionality of firearm licence renewals.
However, following a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling confirming ownership of a firearm when the licence has expired, firearm relicensing applications have collapsed, dropping by 74% from 213,631 in 2021/22 to just 55,936 in 2024/25. While some of this reflects owners correctly applying for new licences as expired licences cannot be renewed under a 2020 Supreme Court of Appeal ruling – the data point to a significant and growing proportion of gun owners who are simply not engaging with the system at all.
The result is a rapidly expanding pool of illegally held firearms outside any legal controls, posing a serious and growing threat to public safety that demands urgent action from government.
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