TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
Dear Everybody
This e-mail is going to everybody
who is in my address book. I apologize if you receive this e-mail and you
are not a firearm owner or if you are not interested in its contents. If you
are interested in its contents I appeal to you to pass on this e-mail to as
many people in your address book that you think might have an interest in
its contents.
The South African Police Services
appears to have embarked upon a deliberate campaign to mislead the firearm
owning public into believing that the amnesty which expires on the 11th
April 2010 is the last opportunity that the public has to re-licence firearms
for which they hold old Arms and Ammunition Act licences and which have not
been renewed. This is patently untrue and misleading. In terms of the South
African Hunters and Game Conservation decision all old Arms and Ammunition
Act licences in the form of green cards or those pasted into your identity
document are valid indefinitely. The amnesty is only in respect of firearms
that are illegal. The South African Police Services are telling the public
that you have until the 11th April 2010 to lodge an application
for a new licence for your old Act licence and the feedback that I am receiving
is that the public are being misled into believing that after the 11th
April 2010 their old Arms and Ammunitions Act licences will become invalid
and they will be in illegal possession of that firearm.
Nothing is further from the truth.
If you have an old Act licence, it remains valid. If you have not applied
to renew that licence, it still remains valid. Your possession of the firearm
is legal and you can continue to use the firearm for any lawful purpose. Do
not believe the South African Police Services if they say that your firearm
will become illegal, or that you will be arrested, or that you have to apply
for a new licence for that firearm. This is part of a political strategy
to force people to comply with the Firearms Control Act where it is not necessary,
or to force people to hand in firearms where it is not necessary.
I am collecting a body of evidence
to try and show that the SAPS have embarked upon a deliberate campaign to
mislead the public. I have my suspicions where this misleading information
comes from and it is my intention to hold those officers in the SAPS accountable
in law. If people have handed in firearms for destruction (and in the process
have not been told that they can apply for compensation) as a result of false
or misleading statements by the SAPS, I want to know. You can e-mail this
information to me at info@mjhood.co.za
or you can e-mail it to the South African Gun Owners Association at saga@saga.org.za.
The SAPS have already been ordered
in principle that they will have to pay compensation to the public for firearms
that have been surrendered. It is time that firearm owners take a principle
stand and do not bow to unlawful SAPS pressures or actions.
Once again, I request that you circulate
this e-mail as widely and quickly as possible as the amnesty cut-off date
is the 11th April 2010 and it is my desire to ensure that as few
as possible people hand in their firearms for destruction as a result of the
misleading and dishonest campaign embarked upon by the SAPS.
Yours
faithfully
Martin
Hood
Partner: MJ Hood & Associates
Tel: (011) 234 7520
Fax: (011) 803 7828