DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

It has been proposed that a section 6(4) should be inserted in the Act, providing as follows:

6(4) Applications for competency certificates and licences to possess firearms will be suspended when the applicant is the subject of a temporary protection order under the Domestic Violence Act, 1998.

Regulation 14 of the present Firearms Control Regulations of 2004, provides that a key indicator for refusing a competency certificate application is whether in the past five years the applicant has been served with a protection order in terms of the Domestic Violence Act, 1998, or visited by a police official concerning allegations of violence in the applicant's home.

Section 6(6) of the Domestic Violence Act provides that:

(6) The clerk of the court must forthwith in the prescribed manner forward certified copies of any protection order and of the warrant of arrest contemplated in section 8 (1) (a) to the police station of the complainant's choice.

We agree that it is of the utmost importance that reporting of such order be related to pending applications for firearms licences and competency certificates, permits and authorizations.

It is therefore proposed that we insert a new subregulation 14(10), which should provide that:

"14(10) Whenever a certified copy of any protection order or a warrant of arrest contemplated in section 8 (1) (a) of the Domestic Violence Act is received at a police station, the station commissioner must refer it to the relevant Designated Firearms Officer, in order to determine whether it relates to any application for a licence, competency certificate, permit or authorization received by him."