Business is booming for Nelson Mandela Bay firearm traders and trainers as public interest in owning guns and knowing how to use them properly rises.
At the same time, thousands of firearms are being handed in at police stations across the country as the latest period of firearms amnesty comes to an end at the end of January.
Earlier this month, police said a total of 23,399 firearms had been handed in at stations nationally.
These included gun owners whose licenses had expired, or who no longer wanted to own firearms.
“Of the firearms surrendered, 3,139 were voluntarily handed in by legal owners, while 20,260 for which licenses expired were handed in.
“Subsequent to this, 23,724 rounds of ammunition were also voluntarily handed over including, 96,057 rounds of ammunition surrendered by owners whose firearm licenses had expired,” national police spokesperson Colonel Athlenda Mathe said.
This is the second period of amnesty offered to firearms owners since 2020.
In the first half of 2020 a total of 46,714 firearms were handed in, but Mathe said they feared Covid-19 lockdowns had dissuaded many people from visiting their nearest police station, and therefore a second amnesty period was authorised.
In addition to the firearms, 119,781 rounds of ammunition were also handed in.
Despite the large number of firearms voluntarily handed over by the public, gun culture in Nelson Mandela Bay is still thriving.
Firearm traders, and accredited training academies, have been inundated with daily visitors, either to buy or inquire about guns and equipment.
Falcon Firearms Training Academy owner Charlie Jonker said they had been very busy in recent months and training courses were fully booked for the next few weeks.
“The majority of people coming to do training courses are people who will soon be in the market to buy new firearms.
“The vast majority of people applying for our courses are looking to arm themselves for self-defence, but we have seen some prospective hunters come through as well.”
Jonker said they also assisted the public with the renewal of licenses, and while the uptake has been slower than expected during the ongoing amnesty period, he expects a rush as the final few days approach.
At the East Cape Game Management Association (ECGMA), the majority of firearms training is done for sport shooters, and CEO Johan Staphorst said they had a backlog of applicants in recent months due to lockdown restrictions prohibiting training.
“Many people who applied for training were denied the chance due to the initial Covid-19 lockdown.
“Once we reopened, we had to make up for lost time and still accommodate new applicants.
“And now, with people coming to reapply for licenses, or to find lost certificates before amnesty ends, we are looking at a busy few days ahead.”
Gun Shack sales assistant Josh Fearn said while some gun shops had gone under recently, they had been extremely busy, especially after lockdown restrictions were eased.
“We have had a lot of hunters come through as the majority of the hunting season fell within lockdown. Now guys are eager to get out into the veld.”
Fearn said they were getting a lot of enquiries from people looking to buy new firearms after handing in old ones.
He said the process to have a firearm deregistered could be time-consuming, and many people considered the firearms amnesty an easier option.
“Some people come into the shop with old guns, and we advise them that it might actually be easier to get something new as repairs and part on old weapons can be difficult and costly.”
Webb’s Arms owner Karen Webb said people should not misunderstand the amnesty process and think it could prevent anyone from owning a firearm.
“There is a misperception that guns are being taken away from people and that applications for firearms will somehow not be possible, but that is completely untrue.
Webb said they had seen a surge in firearm interest in recent months, and they had started offering packages where people could pay a fee and shoot an assortment of firearms at the indoor shooting range.
“We encourage people to come and try it out for themselves, especially women.
“Many people fear guns, but once they handle them and use them, they become much more interested in owning them.”
HeraldLIVE
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