As the most law abiding segment of society, gun owners of South Africa take the tenets and prescripts of safe, responsible, and lawful firearm use as a central pillar of our community.
We do not compromise these foundations. Not out of fear of legal repercussions, nor because the consequences of flippantly disregarding them may lead to grievous injury or death. As critically important as both these are.
No, we do not compromise our foundations because it goes against the very core of who we are: safe and responsible firearm owners.
We hold ourselves to higher standards than we do those who are not lawful firearm owners. We support and encourage behaviour that strengthens our community, and which benefits society as a whole. Whether directly or indirectly.
By the same token we strongly condemn actions that not only compromises our hard-won rights and privileges, but which needlessly and recklessly endangers life. Those who choose to go down this path are not welcome among us. They will not share the campfire of our fraternity.
Let this serve as us nailing our colours to the mast – we support responsible and lawful firearm ownership.
We will assist any and all who seek help in this regard. We will jealously and viciously defend the rights of this community from infringement by individuals who seek to compromise the sacred tenets of safety and responsibility for their personal gain.
I hope that you can identify with these prescripts, take them to heart, and assist in promoting them whenever and wherever you can.
Molon Labe
Written by Gideon Joubert, photo credit to David Ritchie
Gideon is the owner and editor of Paratus
Ludwig Churr
•6 years ago
Thanks. Now if only the law abiding groups can get together and agree on the way forward.
Groups are those that own self defense weapons and do not belong to any club or sport organization.
Then we have various hunting groups.
And many different sporting groups and disciplines.
Dealers, collectors, film industry.
Security industry and even law enforcement as thay are all subject to the various laws and rules that we must obey and abide by.
If we look at the differences, there are many.
We do have items that should bind us together.
1) Firearm owner.
2) Subject to law rules and regulations.
3) License renewals and how the laws and law enforcement’s affects us all.
It is a fallacy for any individual person, or group, or associations to think that affects others will not ultimately affect us all.
Individually we will sink.
Strong and united we will not only survive.
The resistance to change, innovation and improving the common groups interest is strong indeed.
This resistance may cost us dearly.
Zoo Keeper
•5 years ago
True, but note how we are ignored.
We are ignored because the gun controllers are not only master manipulators, but also brilliant with the English language.
“Gun safety laws”, “common sense gun control”, “common sense gun safety”, “Safer Spaces”, and on and on.
The use of language is their biggest weapon, the gun lobby’s biggest weakness.
So here you are, saying the obvious: safe and responsible firearm owners. But the media has been publishing the other side under the banners of “gun safety”, “responsible gun ownership” (remember the If Your Gun Was There So Were You? – ENCA said it was to promote “responsible gun ownership. So now the media, having pinned its colours to the banners’ masts is confused and therefore one side has to lose, and its you, because you are on the opposite side, so how can you be supporting things like responsible gun ownership? So the media ignores most of the gun lobby’s position, in favour of their predetermined caricature of low-intellect male inbred rednecks shooting everything that moves