RENEWAL OF HANDGUN LICENSE

[Bushbuck]

I'm was sure that this must have been raised at some stage, but ran out of patience scrolling through the discussions.

I have to get my handgun license renewed soon and I believe that with a renewal nowadays, one has to submit a full motivation as with the initial application.  I do have a problem in that a large part of my motivation was around the crime and security situation in the Eastern Cape and I now live in Dana Bay where it's totally different.

(1) Is the motivation required?
(2)  Any advice or tips.

[big5ifty]

There is a crime and security situation everywhere in the country, there is no safe place where firearms for self defence are not required, or we'd already all be living there.

You can use the previous application as a template, change the place name, and remove any stats that are location specific. The remainder serves as a legitimate reason to own a self-defence firearm. If you haven't yet included it, state that you travel on remote roads at night, where cell phone reception is limited.

There is no need to quote crime stats to the police, they already have all the data - the stats they publish are in any case watered down for public consumption and political purposes.

I don't have my original SD motivation any more, I do remember it was by far the shortest one compared to the dedicated sports applications.

[Treeman]

I am with big5ifty on this.

[Ds J]

I am not sure whether one needs a complete new motivation for a renewal. On one of my hunting renewals, I did a one page motivation which basically stated that my purposes are still the same, with proof that I used the rifle for the mentioned purposes.

For a SD license, I would do a little more. If one has proof that one (almost) had to use it, it makes a strong case.

A SAPS officer once told me that one doesn't always need to open a case to get a case number. One can report something in the occurrence book, and just get the page number. I have done it for petty crimes, or strange occurrences  - a donkey steed once tried his luck with me and my children when we were out for a walk. It could have ended in a SD situation, hence makes a good submission to the occurence book.

[NoStepOnSnek88]

@Bushbuck I have a few motivations on word doc available, to edit or you can use it as a guide to create your own.

DM me your email address, and I'll forward  them to you, if you wish.

I do despise this entire process, motivation, endorsement, dedicated status, activities, club reference, and being a member of association etc.

[Bushbuck]

Just a follow up after visiting our local DFO

1)  Your competency certificate expires together with the license and has to be renewed at the same time.  An extra R92-00
2)  In 2019 when I renewed my hunting rifle licenses, I was given the SAPS 271 form to complete, that is only for new licenses
3) the forms are a SAPS 518 and SAPS 519 which are for renewal of license and competency
4)  The local DFO does not want a book or essay as motivation on a renewal - a maximum of 2 pages.

Advice is therefore that you go have a chat with your DFO before submission

[big5ifty]

1)  Your competency certificate expires together with the license and has to be renewed at the same time.

If your competency certificate and license were issued at the same time for the same duration, then yes, they might expire at the same time.

A competency does not automatically expire with any particular license.

For example, if the competency is issued for 10 years, and at the same time a license is issued for five, it does not mean the competency is only valid for five.

You can renew that five year license with the original 10 year competency, provided it is still valid.

If your DFO is linking your competency expiry to your license expiry, there may be other procedural errors in your application that will cause  your application to be rejected at the CFR, and your DFO will not know why.

[big5ifty]

I forgot to mention that should you apply for a 10 year firearm license one year before your competency expires, then your competency remains valid until that license expires.

[Bushbuck]

We think the same, but not our DFO.  My competency was issued without an expiry date on it and within a year I was issued an S16 license for a 308, which is valid for 10 years.  A few months later the 9mm license was issued on that competency.  Now apparently the competency (which has no expiry date on it) expires together with the 9mm license.  I remain confused by the SAPS

[big5ifty]

That sounds correct, if no license was issued on that competency after the 9mm, and the 9mm was section 16.

Then your competency runs till the expiry of the last license issued on that competency.

If you 9mm was a 5 year license, then your DFO is short-changing you a couple of years on your competency certificate, and it's not worth making a fuss over, just apply for another one.

What does not expire is your training certificate. You apply for a new competency based on the training certificate originally received, so even though you need a new competency, you don't need to redo the training. Unless you no longer have the original training certificate.

This was the case for me when my competency needed renewing, I don't think the rules have changed yet.