Africa-Press – Botswana. Every person in possession of an illegal fiream has an opportunity to hand it over to the police during the month of September, when nationwide amnesty will be extended to such persons.
Speaking at the destruction of 338 illegal firearms recently, Officer Commanding Central Arms Registry, senior superintendent Gosekwang Sebitla said the Amnesty protocol stipulated that persons who voluntarily surrendered illegal firearms during the time would not be subjected to disclosure, humiliation, arrest or prosecution.
Conversely, “those…considered to be violating national law and the amnesty, will be prosecuted accordingly,” he said.
Supt Sebitla added Botswana had adopted a policy to commemorate the guns destruction day in July every year as a tool to control illicit possession of firearms.
The destroyed firearms were either confiscated from people who held them illegally or those who surrendered them voluntarily. Others were those found abandoned, the majority of which unregistered.
Confiscated firearms, he said were those which had mostly been used to commit crime such as illegal hunting of protected animals and robbery offences while registered owners voluntarily surrendered firearms which were regarded as obsolete and posed danger to users.
“We advise firearms owners, registered or not, that guns which are not in a good condition are a danger to the owner as well as the general public. We therefore urge you to surrender them to the police,” he said. Supt Sebitla said the destroyed firearms were brought in by different police stations from across the country, following, investigations.
Among the guns were five pellet or air guns, eight handguns, 98 rifles and 227 shotguns.
This year, he said, there were no military weapons confiscated. Supt. Sebitla advised the public that unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition contravened section 9 (4) of the Arms and Ammunition Act No.19 of 2018 and upon conviction, a personliable could be fined up to P5 000 or imprisoned to a maximun of three years or both.
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