Gun owners in South Africa – if your Competency Certificate has expired then you have until Sun 10 April 2011 to renew it

The deadline for the renewal of Competency Certificates that expired on or before 10 January 2011 is set for 10 April 2011. 
Midnight on Sunday 10 April 2011 is the deadline for every gunowner whose competency certificate ‘expired’ on or before 10 January 2011 to apply to renew it, or face severe penalties. 
If that applies to you, then complete the ‘SAPS 517(g)’ form and hand it in to your local Firearms Control Officer asap: http://www.saga.org.za/SAPS%20517g.pdf

Prior to the promulgation (Govt Gazette 33871 of 17 December 2010) of “Certain Provisions of the Firearms Control Amendment Act, 2006 (Act No 26 of 2006)” there wasn’t proper provision for the renewal of competencies.

This much under-publicized fact affects many firearm owners and in an effort to keep gun owners informed, South African Gunowners Association (SAGA) has placed an advert in the Sunday Times which I scanned in:


Pasted below and also available here: http://www.gunsite.co.za/forums/showthread.php?13455-SAGA-Warning-on-Competency-Certificates

TOP SECRET POLICE DEADLINE
This URGENT NEWS could have escaped the attention of gunowners who neglected to spend their December/January holidays reading through government gazettes and searching the papers for ministerial edicts.  The urgent news is that your failure to renew ‘expired’ competency certificates could gravely endanger lives – the lives of your precious, hard-won firearm licences.
NOTE: The police’s own (penalty-free?) neglect to quickly publicize the facts and to spur firearm licence-holders into timely action probably promotes this new development to the rank of one of the SAPS’ ‘best kept secrets’.

IF YOU OWN A GUN, READ THIS WITHOUT DELAY
Upright citizens who own one or more firearms usually try to comply with the laws of the land - provided they know what is expected of them, and provided what is expected of them is fair, reasonable and (hopefully) practical.

BE WARNED - ACT NOW!
The much under-publicized, but newsworthy, fact is that midnight on Sunday 10 April 2011 is the deadline set by the Minister of Police for every gunowner - whose competency certificate ‘expired’ on or before 10 January 2011 - to apply to renew it.  He also warned that the penalties for failure to comply would be severe, so
* Despite the short notice;
* Despite the virtual silence of the SAPS on the subject;
* Regardless of when (if ever) the validity of your firearm licence ‘expires’;
* Despite the chaos that already exists within the Central Firearms Registry; and
* Thankless though the task may be;

It is in your own best interests to check your competency certificates NOW and apply to renew them if they (unlike your real competence) have expired.

If you are among the many thousands who could be affected by this Notice, complete the (brand-new) form SAPS 517(g) and hand it in to your local Firearms Control Officer asap. Keep a copy, get a receipt, etc etc in case you need evidence of your innocence. (The seven page application/declaration form should be available from police stations - if they have run out of stock, you can download and print it out from the link on SAGA’s website www.saga.org.za)  http://www.saga.org.za/SAPS%20517g.pdf
The SAPS has promised that the position of those firearm owners who have already applied by using the now outdated form SAPS 517 (i.e. without that important little ‘g’) will not be prejudiced and these people need not repeat the exercise using an SAPS 517(g).  Prior to the promulgation (Govt Gazette 33871 of 17 December 2010) of “Certain Provisions of the Firearms Control Amendment Act, 2006 (Act No 26 of 2006)” there wasn’t proper provision for the renewal of competencies.

This IMPORTANT NOTICE is issued in the public interest by the SA Gunowners' Association (A non party-political, non-profit association of concerned citizens) PO Box 35203, Northway, 4065 * Fax 086-553-9615
Website: www.saga.org.za
Email: saga@saga.org.za