2004 Volume 4
Business Must ”Adapt” To New Firearms Act, Says Minister
Business Day, Thursday 11 November 2004
CAPE TOWN - Government did not consider the economic effect of the Firearms Control Act, and will not consider changing the law if it was found to be adversely affecting certain businesses in the country, Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula has said.
The Firearms Control Act, after being approved in 2000, was fully implemented in July this year. Reports of massive losses by gun dealers and difficulties in the hunting, film and private security industries have followed the full implementation of the Act.
Huge numbers of applications for firearm licences have been rejected by the Central Firearms Registry and there have been charges there are not enough accredited facilities to test the competence of applicants.
Nqakula, in reply to a written question from Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Roy Jankielsohn, said: ”No economic impact study was done.” He said the most serious violent crimes involved the use of firearms and government’s response was to impose stricter firearms control in the country.
”The Firearms Control Act has made provisions for firearm dealers, the professional hunting industry, the film industry and the private security industry to be regarded as business entities. It is the responsibility of these entities to adapt their business models to comply with the provisions of firearms control legislation and to comply with their social responsibility as South Africans,” Nqakula said.
He said that no job losses were anticipated due to the implementation of the Act, but ”businesses need to adapt to the new requirements of firearms control legislation to function as viable economic entities”.
In response to a further question from Jankielsohn, Nqakula said there was no chance of the Act being amended to mitigate any economic fallout.
The purpose of the legislation was ”clear” and was designed to enhance the constitutionally enshrined right to life and bodily integrity, to prevent the proliferation of illegally possessed firearms, to enable the state to remove illegally possessed firearms from society and to ”control the supply, possession, safe storage, transfer and use of firearms and to detect and punish the negligent or criminal use of firearms”.
It also emerged yesterday that a long awaited appearance by Nqakula at Parliament’s safety and security committee tomorrow has been cancelled. The minister will be piloting ”anti-terrorism” legislation through the National Assembly.
Jankielsohn said this would have been ”a crucial opportunity for him to deal with the many concerns regarding the Central Firearms Registry, which have become even more pressing following recent media allegations of irregularities and possibly even corruption.
”The minister has not attended a single meeting of the parliamentary oversight committee since the new committee was formed after the April election. This poses question marks over his commitment to the democratic principles of transparency and accountability. It also appears that the committee does not have the political will to enforce its oversight responsibilities by holding the minister to account,” he said.