Garth Rattray
BECAUSE OF the numerous, very serious concerns that many people expressed to me, three years ago I publicised the dangers that renewing firearm licences pose. I hope that it will not take something catastrophic for things to change.
The newly commissioned Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA) has taken over the issuing and renewal of firearm licenses. The FLA was established because of the corrupt practices of some unscrupulous police who either extorted money to perform their firearm licensing duties or sold licences to people who didn't
qualify (including criminals).
As usual, the many innocent will have to pay the price for the sins of the few. In order to renew firearm licences or user's permits, owners and users must jump through several new hoops. Now, they must complete a new request for renewal form, present the originals but leave copies of their birth certificate or passport and Tax Registration Number (TRN) and provide two certified passport-sized photographs. Every five years they must go through a 'comprehensive re-certification process' while all the time enduring the same highly visible, time consuming, coming and going from police stations to tax offices. People are hoping that the new FLA will urgently address the obvious time-wasting and potentially life-threatening procedures that currently exist within the system.
RENEWING FIREARM LICENCES
There is always a narrow window of opportunity to renew firearm licences and user's permits before the universal expiratory date of midnight March 31 every year. This precipitates a necessary, highly visible rush and sometimes a veritable stampede on police stations and tax offices everywhere. I understand that the National Commercial Bank has (wisely) withdrawn from accepting payments of firearm licensing fees for this very reason. So, it's back to the tax offices again this year. People were hoping that (like driver's licences) the renewal dates would be spread out to avoid this annual rush on the perennially ill-prepared system.
MANDATORY INSPECTION
The requirement of a mandatory annual inspection of firearms appears to have little merit. I hear that this was the Government's attempt to verify possession of licensed firearms because they fear that weapons may have been illegally modified, loaned out, rented out or not reported as stolen. I can't imagine decent, law-abiding citizens doing any of those things. However, the new authority should weigh those very remote possibilities against the inherent folly of literally putting all legal gun owners in danger each and every year because they are required to trek back and forth and eventually disarm themselves by unloading their weapons (pistols and/or easily identifiable shotguns) anywhere outside the police stations before submitting to an inspection inside the building and then reloading outside (within the public domain).
POTENTIAL TARGETS
This annual 'pilgrimage' and various procedures expose the general public to danger, the gun owners to discovery and provide several opportunities for criminals to mark people as potential targets. Perhaps this is how criminals come to ascertain who own weapons, pounce upon them, steal their firearms and sometimes even murder them. After all, people don't habitually display their guns.
Another area of concern is the big red booklet that gun owners must (by law) travel with at all times once they are in possession of a firearm. It's cumbersome, difficult to conceal and betrays the gun owner. It is perplexing that in this modern age of computers and with a whopping annual licensing fee of $3,000, a driver's licence-sized, easily concealable, identification card, hasn't yet replaced the big red book.
Holders of legal firearms remain silent because they fear (further) exposure but they consider the current system to be extremely time wasting, antiquated, unwieldy, unnecessary, unfair, dangerous and almost punitive.
Dr. Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice.
