Hiya from South Africa

[Mag]

Hi
I've owned my CZ 75 since '88, and have just started shooting again after about 10 yrs of it being dormant....(life happens I suppose)
In '88, there wasn't any internet, so I've learnt loads more than I knew, just in the last couple of days on this forum. Thanks a million for that.

I will continue reading, and believe me, asking a load of questions, so thanks in advance.

Cheers
Mark

[badge38]

 Welcome to he CZ Forum Mag.  Yes ...... I remember 1988, when things of everyday life were a lot less technical.  Hardly a cellphone or computer in any household ............ and I had a Colt .45 Officers.  Ammo was also a lot cheaper (even .45).
 

[Mag]

Hi Karen
Why would you want to have a firearm with you when you are traveling?
I'm not trying to sound dumb here, but you are on holiday, are you going hunting?
Let me know, and I'll answer as best I can.

Mark

[pitbull]

Welcome to the CZ forum Mark. I'm glad to see you are giving your 75B a workout after so many years.
How are the gun laws in S.A. In the USA they vary from state to state.

[ClarkstonCZ]

Please explain about the Draconian gun laws of the "new nation" if you feel like it.

Know that the old RSA was one of the best proving grounds for a CZ75 as both a military
and police approved issue gun.

Other guns such as the Grock have replaced it in the limelight, but some there still cling to the
See-Zeds.

I think if the PCR and P01 were available there, many would not be buying Grock Blocks.

Anyhow.

Great to have you with us!

[pitbull]

Know that the old RSA was one of the best proving grounds for a CZ75 as both a military
and police approved issue gun.

Thanks Kev I never realized that. I guess they had the benefit of loving their CZ's before we did.

[Mag]

Well here goes:

SA is not the country you folks see on the news. We don't have murders and rapes and car jackings every second of the day. By and large, the vast majority of South Africans are law abiding citizens. SA is a huge tourist destination, and crime generally affects citizens, more than tourists. (house breaking, car jacking etc) Unless you are coming on a hunting trip, where you can bring in your own firearms, I suggest you leave them at home, and buy a tazer here if you feel you need to be able to protect yourself. Firearms can't be hired in South Africa.

Regarding our draconian gun laws, it is getting tougher to own a firearm, but there are a whole lot of us (black, white green, pink and purple), that feel that our right to carry arms is still our right, and we will persevere to own firearms, as long as it is according to the laws of our country.
For every firearm you would like to own, you have to do a competency course, and prove you are competent to carry and use that particular type of firearm. Once you are deemed competent, you can then purchase that type of firearm, and then apply for a licence to carry that firearm. If the licence is approved, you collect your firearm. (personally I think its a great thing that you have to be competent to use a gun)
Unless you are a collector or dealer, you can only own 1 handgun for self defence, 1 shotgun (hunting), and 1 rifle (hunting). You can not own fully auto weapons.

Many of us are ex soldiers (we all served in our national defence force as conscripts, before it became a volunteer only force) and we got involved with firearms when we were doing national service, we became proficient in gun safety as well as using a multitude of firearms. I think this is where the gun bug bit me.

Cheers
Mark

[badge38]

 Good post Mag.   

[rccooley]

Mag,
Very nice post.  I have had the pleasure of meeting and speaking to a few South Africans and all of my experiences have been positive and have painted the county in a very positive light.  I would love to visit the country some time.  I have heard that some of the most beautiful beaches in the world are in South Africa.

I have a few questions for you.  Aside from military service, how would one become proficient with a firearm if only those that can pass a proficiency test have access to them?  I have never understood laws like those.  I don't know how common shooting ranges are there or if they exist, and is it possible to rent a firearm at the range? How common are private shooting lessons?

I have just always been fascinated by gun laws in other countries and their take on what responsible gun ownership is.  Whether responsible means owning several and knowing how to use them or owning absolutely none, I always try to understand the reasoning behind it.

[Mag]

Hi rccooley

I've traveled far and wide, and still believe that SA is the most beautiful country in the world. We like to call South Africa the world in one country. We have the beaches, natural wildlife, mountains, even snow in some places. I don't think there is anywhere else in the world that offers all of this in a country so small.
Regarding proficiency with firearms, when doing competency courses, all these courses have firearms on hand for students to practice with, and become proficient with, so students do have easy, but controlled access to firearms.
We have ranges throughout the country, in fact I have two indoor ranges, and two outdoor ranges within a 15 minute drive from my house, so practicing regularly is not a problem, a bit costly though, but not a problem.
The shooting club I belong to does normal target shooting, and tactical courses, and we get together once a month for a day of shooting.

I believe that the powers that be in this country, in a bid to reduce crime, is to make owning a firearm so difficult, that most people will just give up their firearms as it is too much hassle. The basic fact of the matter though, is that there are far too many illegal firearms around, and the authorities have no way of getting rid of these.
The ideal situation is to only have legal, licenced firearms in the country, but that seems to be almost impossible.

We are currently going through a re-licensing exercise in the country at the moment, which is a tedious and costly excersise, but our constitutional court has put the process on hold, as it is deemed unconstitutional to expect gun owners, with previously licenced firearms, to hand them in for destruction.

We await the outcome.

Mark