pdh
Well-Known Fanatic
Been meaning to do this for a while
South Africa do not have anything in the constitution like the 2nd Amendment in the USA.
A Firearms Act was instituted in 2004 and was loosely based on the Canadian laws and gun registry.
All firearms must either be on your person or in your safe.
Firearms can only be transported by the license holder or dealer and not by anyone else
There is no concealed carry permit required and the only thing you need is your firearm license
There is no open carry by civilians in South Africa
There are no limits on magazine capacity and silencers and suppressors are legal and not regulated
There are no restrictions on barrel length for any firearm
Laws are for all of South Africa as we dont have different states, only provinces that all fall under the same laws
There is a Central Firearms Registry that all applications are sent to and everyone applies through the local police station.
Every firearm in RSA must be on the firearm registry and if you want a firearm it must be licensed in your name, if a new person wants to buy the gun, he must apply for it using the normal process
There are 3 steps that you must follow to get a firearm license:
1) Proficiency certificate
This involves taking both a written and practical test for i) the firearm laws of RSA ii) Handgun iii) Shotgun iv) Rifle v) Self Loading Rifle
You can choose to do only one or all 4 firearm sections, the law is compulsory
Once you have this certificate it lasts forever and so you only need to do it once
2) Competency certificate
This involves applying at the local police station with your documents, proficiency certificate and fingerprints.
It is basically a check to see if you have a criminal record, are mentally stable and have the means to store a firearm at your premises.
They will phone your relatives etc
This process usually takes 2 months
Competency applications need to be renewed every 10 years
3) Firearms License application
Every firearm has its own application that must be sent to the CFR (central firearms registry)
The application includes a big form with all details of firearm and where it comes from and where it is currently being stored
You must submit a motivation on why you need (not want) the firearm and provide documentation to support the information
This would be either for self defense, sports shooting, hunting or collecting
You generally have to belong to an association in order to license your firearms but this is not necessary for all situations.
These take about 1-2 months
We have different sections you can apply in for a firearm and are valid for a certain number of years
Self loading rifles and shotguns (AR15s, AK47's, Semi shotguns) are sort of restricted where you need to belong to an association and become a dedicated person in that association (usually a certain number of shoots a year) and the association will supply you with supporting documentation for that firearm
That's about it for now
South Africa do not have anything in the constitution like the 2nd Amendment in the USA.
A Firearms Act was instituted in 2004 and was loosely based on the Canadian laws and gun registry.
All firearms must either be on your person or in your safe.
Firearms can only be transported by the license holder or dealer and not by anyone else
There is no concealed carry permit required and the only thing you need is your firearm license
There is no open carry by civilians in South Africa
There are no limits on magazine capacity and silencers and suppressors are legal and not regulated
There are no restrictions on barrel length for any firearm
Laws are for all of South Africa as we dont have different states, only provinces that all fall under the same laws
There is a Central Firearms Registry that all applications are sent to and everyone applies through the local police station.
Every firearm in RSA must be on the firearm registry and if you want a firearm it must be licensed in your name, if a new person wants to buy the gun, he must apply for it using the normal process
There are 3 steps that you must follow to get a firearm license:
1) Proficiency certificate
This involves taking both a written and practical test for i) the firearm laws of RSA ii) Handgun iii) Shotgun iv) Rifle v) Self Loading Rifle
You can choose to do only one or all 4 firearm sections, the law is compulsory
Once you have this certificate it lasts forever and so you only need to do it once
2) Competency certificate
This involves applying at the local police station with your documents, proficiency certificate and fingerprints.
It is basically a check to see if you have a criminal record, are mentally stable and have the means to store a firearm at your premises.
They will phone your relatives etc
This process usually takes 2 months
Competency applications need to be renewed every 10 years
3) Firearms License application
Every firearm has its own application that must be sent to the CFR (central firearms registry)
The application includes a big form with all details of firearm and where it comes from and where it is currently being stored
You must submit a motivation on why you need (not want) the firearm and provide documentation to support the information
This would be either for self defense, sports shooting, hunting or collecting
You generally have to belong to an association in order to license your firearms but this is not necessary for all situations.
These take about 1-2 months
We have different sections you can apply in for a firearm and are valid for a certain number of years
Self loading rifles and shotguns (AR15s, AK47's, Semi shotguns) are sort of restricted where you need to belong to an association and become a dedicated person in that association (usually a certain number of shoots a year) and the association will supply you with supporting documentation for that firearm
That's about it for now
