Gun owners came under fire in the Pretoria High Court on Wednesday for the late filing of an application to have the implementation of the Firearms Control Act delayed beyond midnight.
Their application was dismissed by Judge Ben du Plessis, who found there was no merit to the application.
Du Plessis accused the applicants of seeking to hold the court to ransom by bringing their case at such a late stage.
The applicants must have reasoned that the court would rather err on the side of caution than risk mistakes arising from the Act’s implementation, he said.
”This is a way of holding the court to ransom to just do something.”
Du Plessis also rejected an argument by Sam Maritz, for the applicants, that the Act is obscure and requires interpretation.
”I think the Act means what it means and people must live with it.”
If he could not be convinced that the Act’s implementation is irrational, that seemed to be the end of the matter, the judge added.
The Act is to come into operation on Thursday. — Sapa