Firearm transfer of ownership

**slick71** · 08-01-2019, 02:12

Hi all,

would appreciate advice.

I have a firearm I inherited years ago and kept purely for sentimental reasons. I've never actually even fired it.

I still have an old green licence, and never applied for a white licence, i.e. I have been waiting since 2009 to see what's going to happen in relation to the Prinsloo High Court judgement of June 2009. I understand that the old green licences are still perfectly valid at present.

I now have a disabled son, and frankly I'm tired and don't want to expend any more energy on this whole firearms licensing malarkey.

So if I just want to get rid it as quickly and easily as possible, my understanding is that I have the following options:

Hand it into a dealer, fill in form 534, provide a copy of my ID and licence, it gets registered to the dealer, my licence is cancelled, and the dealer can sell it on or do whatever they please with it. I.e. give it away to a dealer for free.
Sell it privately or via a dealer, in which case I have to book it into a dealer as "dealer stock", fill in form 534 with a copy of my ID and licence, it gets registered to the dealer, my licence gets cancelled, and the buyer gets it once he has made a successful licence application. I'm just not sure what happens if the buyer's licence doesn't come through and mine has already been cancelled...??
Hand it into the police. My question here is: Do the police actually accept the handing in of firearms at the moment? I've come across mention that some people have apparently been turned away by the police when trying to do so.

I honestly don't mind giving the firearm away at this stage, but would rather give it to a dealer than to the police. I simply do not want it anymore.

Are there any other options I'm not aware of?

Thanks.

**BBT** · 08-01-2019, 02:23

Option 4. You can offer it here on this forum as a PIF(Pay it forward)
The firearm can stay in your possession until the new owner gets the licence for it, he or she can then collect the gun from you once they have their licence card.

And with regards to option 2, if the buyer's licence is not approved, but the firearm is in dealer stock, the buyer owns it and can therefore do what he wills with it. He can either sell it on or appeal or try to licence it again.
All of this will not affect you in any way

**JhbBoy** · 08-01-2019, 07:14

Originally Posted by BBT

Option 4. You can offer it here on this forum as a PIF(Pay it forward)
The firearm can stay in your possession until the new owner gets the licence for it, he or she can then collect the gun from you once they have their licence card.

...This is very altruistic and kind of you.
But...the DFO must sign off that you can keep the gun with you until the new owner's licence is approved.

(2) Subject to subsection (3), a person who is not a dealer may dispose of a firearm or ammunition only through a dealer or as otherwise provided for in this Act.
3) A person who wishes to sell or donate a firearm to a willing buyer or donee, as the case may be, may do so without the intervention of a dealer, but on such conditions as the Designated Firearms Officer may determine.

**slick71** · 08-01-2019, 10:11

Originally Posted by BBT

And with regards to option 2, if the buyer's licence is not approved, but the firearm is in dealer stock, the buyer owns it and can therefore do what he wills with it. He can either sell it on or appeal or try to licence it again.
All of this will not affect you in any way

Ah, ok - got it now. So it's the buyer's property at that stage and the seller isn't involved at all anymore.

**slick71** · 08-01-2019, 10:13

Originally Posted by JhbBoy

3) A person who wishes to sell or donate a firearm to a willing buyer or donee, as the case may be, may do so without the intervention of a dealer, but on such conditions as the Designated Firearms Officer may determine.

I suppose this is because the seller or person who donates it will have to cancel his licence? I.e. the firearm can't be licensed to two people simultaneously at any given stage?

**Toxxyc** · 08-01-2019, 10:26

I suspect you're overthinking this. I've bought a few firearms privately from other persons - the licencing process is, as far as I've done it, simpler than when purchasing from a dealer. The motivation and the forms are the same but you don't need a 350a form as well.

What firearm is it, if I may ask? Chances are someone on here will definitely be interested in it, no matter what it is. We have shooters, newbies, collectors, the lot!

**Davidc** · 08-01-2019, 10:43

Not sure if it still the case but there were quite a few persons who handed in their fire arms to the SAPS only to find out years later that the FA has not been removed from their names.

Also with the issues around dealer stock and SAP 350’s not being processed in a reasonable time how long will it be for the FA to be taken off your name. At least with a private deal the FA license is cancelled the moment the new license is issued to the new owner.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**slick71** · 08-01-2019, 10:52

Originally Posted by Davidc

Not sure if it still the case but there were quite a few persons who handed in their fire arms to the SAPS only to find out years later that the FA has not been removed from their names.

Hmm, that's making me overthink for sure. I had a .38 Special I handed into the police around 2009. Will have to call the CFR and hope for the best...

**slick71** · 08-01-2019, 10:57

Originally Posted by Toxxyc

What firearm is it, if I may ask? Chances are someone on here will definitely be interested in it, no matter what it is. We have shooters, newbies, collectors, the lot!

It's a Lee Metford from the 2nd Boer War era, late 1890s.

I've made contact with a dealer and it looks like we're going to be able to organise something fairly quickly. Part of the problem is that I'm in the UK more often than in SA nowadays, so I have to get this sorted out.

**slick71** · 16-01-2020, 16:23

Hi all,

just wanted to say thanks to everyone who replied. I eventually managed to get this sorted out - I ended up signing the rifle over to a dealer, filled out form 534, and after a few weeks the firearm was transferred to the dealer's stock. I called the CFR to confirm that no firearms appear against my name anymore. Now officially gun free.

All the best to everyone.