Lauretta Harvey, Fish Hoek
Thank you for the article (“Gun licence hold-up”, Bulletin, February 25), about the shambles with gun licences.
I received my licence over five years ago after the new law came about where one has to take a test. I did the test before so I could get the gun.
I made a bad mistake by missing the cut-off date or the end of my time to get it renewed. I have excuses, but it is not important, right now.
I went to the police station and my licence expired the day before. I was nervous knowing it was late. At the police station I was told that because my licence had expired and “they must take my gun in and melt it – and if I have anything (against that) I can take the SAPS to court”. This revolver is my partner, my husband, my bodyguard. I am 60 and am a widow and might need it to protect my daughter and I. How many citizens go through being the victims of crime. I’d rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.
I felt like a criminal at the police station after finding my licence application was late and hearing the “threat”.
I am very angry.
As for the Gun Free SA people, they have got a cheek trying to get us decent people to be forced to do away with guns.
Gun-free does not mean criminal-free.
The anti-gun guys are most probably safe at home and rich and have not had their children mowed down by some criminal who has a gun – gotten where? Probably from their pals or robbed a cop or got it from neighbouring countries.
At the police station a page was fetched from behind and shown to me. I didn’t have my glasses and the man read it out to me (it’s beside the point). He read this out to me and gave me the page to take home.
“In the case where a person wants to renew the licence but the validity has expired , the person must be informed that she is not lawfully in possession of a firearm and that it must be surrendered to the police station.”
It says something about being prosecuted for having that expired licence. I was numb with shock. After getting home I thought of taking it further, how I don’t know.
