Police appeal to illegal firearm owners to take advantage of new amnesty

“This prompted the minister of police, Gen Bheki Cele, to approach parliament to approve a new application of a six-month amnesty period. The approval of the new application has since been published in the Government Gazette on 31 July 2020 which now allows all persons with illegal or unwanted firearms as well as ammunition to hand them in at their nearest police station,” police said on Saturday.

They urged people to take advantage of this period by handing in those firearms and ammunition either for destruction or renewal of a competency certificate and a valid licence. “The latest National Crime Statistics once again show that firearms were the preferred weapon in the commission of most of the violent crime. Reducing the circulation of firearms may potentially reduce the scourge of violent crimes quite significantly. The Firearm Amnesty envisages to see a reduced number of illegally possessed firearms in circulation in the country.

She said it must be noted, however, that no indemnity would be granted for firearms used to commit any crime. “All firearms that have been handed in will undergo ballistic testing to ensure that they have not been used in the commission of any crimes, before they can be considered for destruction,” she added.

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