Draft GOSA press release on the SA Hunter's case

[Paul]

"Is it still possible for justice to emerge from the chaos in the South African legal system?"

Gunowners SA are waiting with bated breathe to see whether Judge Bill Prinsloo will deliver judgement tomorrow which confirms that which we already know (and have seen demonstrated many times over the last few years) to be the case. His judgement in the SA Hunters and Game Conservation Association (SA Hunters) v Minister of Police case heard before him this week in the North Gauteng High Court may be a pivotal case for South African democracy. If His Honour finds for the plaintiffs (SA Hunters), he will be shining a bright light on the lies and deceit that the South African Police Service, and their Central Firearms registry, have attempted to use to defraud the law-abiding South African gun owners of their lawful (and valuable) possessions... Also their most potent means of self defence in these criminally-plagued times.

In the convoluted meanderings of the legal system justice is very often the sacrificial offering burnt on the altar of political expedience. In this case the implementation of the Firearms Control Act (Act 60 of 2000) is challenged because of the disgracefully inept fashion in which the Central Firearms Registry of the SAPS has gone about their duty. The FCA is purported to be concerned with the 'fight against crime', is in reality entirely focussed on already licensed firearms with which, according to the SAPS themselves, no statistically relevant crime is ever committed - in other words, statisticians consider the occurrence of crime with licensed firearms so low that they don't measure it. The FCA itself is subject to a number of Constitutional challenges on various grounds.

SA Hunters is merely seeking to prevent the imminent criminalisation of more than a million law-abiding South African citizens by this unneeded, unwanted, and unimplementable legislation. These million or more citizens are already licensed to own their firearms and have committed no crime at all. At the stroke of midnight on 30 June 2009 they will turn into criminals, subject to jail sentences of 15 years if convicted in a court.

It is up to Judge Bill Prinsloo to put a stop to this nightmarish fairy-tale of the damned.

[gizmo16]

I really hope sanity prevails.

[abhm]

one would really hope that this organization would avail itself of the services of a professional media consultant to structure their messaging!

[abhm]

with respect use English
hpy71

[Paul]

with respect use English
hpy71

Ja, ja, ja... everyone's a bloody critic.

Did you notice the "Draft" at the beginning of the title?

Was hacked out in 20 minutes this morning. Speed being of the essence.

"Professional media consultant" indeed... with funding coming from where? hpy194

[abhm]

with respect use English
hpy71

Ja, ja, ja... everyone's a bloody critic.

Did you notice the "Draft" at the beginning of the title?

Was hacked out in 20 minutes this morning. Speed being of the essence.

"Professional media consultant" indeed... with funding coming from where? hpy194

If your purpose was not to elicit response and input, please elucidate why you would put your draft on an open forum???
If you want to represent you organization and your opinion correctly, exactitude is of the essence not speed!
Should you require the services of such a person and are unable to fund it I would suggest leveraging your member network to ascertain if those skills are not available to you at reduced cost or indeed entrenched within your membership network.
The organization wishes to represent firearms owners in a public forum, surely it behoves you to do so in the best manner possible or are your constituents only valued at twenty minutes?
If you want to represent do so professionally or you will forever bear with the stigma of the unprepared who would rather militate then represent!

[shooter]

I'm a member of GOSA\SAGA so I'm not bashing :P

Good luck to all involved!

I chopped the draft a bit just for fun (*THIS IS ONLY MY OWN LITTLE EDITING ATTEMPT AS I WAS TIRED OF DOING MY LITERATURE REVIEWS - NOTEPAD WAS OPEN!*)

"Is it still possible for justice to emerge from the chaos in the South African legal system?"

Gun Owners of South Africa (GOSA) is waiting with bated breathe to see whether Judge Bill Prinsloo will deliver judgement tomorrow. In this case the implementation of the Firearms Control Act (Act 60 of 2000) is challenged because of the disgracefully inept fashion in which the Central Firearms Registry of the SAPS has gone about their duty.

His judgement in the SA Hunters and Game Conservation Association (SA Hunters) v Minister of Police case heard before him this week in the North Gauteng High Court may be a pivotal case for South African democracy. If His Honour finds for the plaintiffs (SA Hunters), he will be shining a bright light on the lies and deceit that the South African Police Service, and their Central Firearms registry, have attempted to use to defraud the law-abiding South African gun owners of their lawful (and valuable) possessions. Possesions which are also sometimes their most potent means of self defence in these criminally-plagued times.

The FCA is purported to be concerned with the 'fight against crime', is in reality entirely focussed on already licensed firearms with which, according to the SAPS themselves, no statistically relevant crime is ever committed - in other words, statisticians consider the occurrence of crime with licensed firearms so low that they don't measure it. The FCA itself is subject to a number of Constitutional challenges on various grounds.

SA Hunters is seeking to prevent the imminent criminalisation of more than a million law-abiding South African citizens by this unneeded, unwanted, and unimplementable legislation. The million or more citizens are already licensed to own their firearms and have committed no crime at all. At the stroke of midnight on 30 June 2009 they will turn into criminals, subject to jail sentences of 15 years if convicted in a court.

[abhm]

If I might add, minimize the use of the emotive expression to achieve heightened impact, its is so overloaded with these expressions its just losing the reader and comes across as hysterical!

avoid doubling up on words, it makes it clumsy e.g. disgracefully inept? all ineptitude is disgraceful you don't need to describe it!

When you use numbers be specific what is a million or more is it a million and one or one short of two million?

basically start refining the emotive language use it where needed, this is a press release, save the emotion for your catch phrase! make it punchy and "impactful" not hysterical!

[tarmac]

So much for storing firearms free of charge.......our local police station has already run out of space and sending people away with firearms and telling them to take them back to the original owners to store. now what?? So much for the CFR councel stating that they could and would store free of charge. Could someone perhaps let the honourable judge know?

[gizmo16]

I'm just happy that someone is doing/writing something.