It’s not unheard of that firearm license applications can take over a year to be approved. How true is that? I took the time to search online for as many firearm application stories as I could. Then I built a database of 200 of the most recent firearm license approvals. Using that information, I hope to give a more accurate answer to how long it takes to get a firearm license.
Firearm licenses take an average of 142 calendar days to be approved, according to a survey of 197 of the most recent firearm applications. The quickest application took 32 days, and the longest application took 306 calendar days. The time a firearm license takes to get approved depends mainly on the type of application.
I took my analysis a step further. I broke the license applications into categories of licenses to find out if one category of license or firearm type takes longer than another, and here’s what I found:
Firearm and Application | No. of applications I analyzed | Average Days | Min. | Max. |
Handgun Self-Defense | 53 | 132 | 72 | 235 |
Handgun – Occasional Sport | 10 | 145 | 72 | 190 |
Handgun – Dedicated Sport | 28 | 120 | 90 | 177 |
Manual Rifle – Occasional Hunting / Sport | 18 | 142 | 32 | 198 |
Manual Rifle – Dedicated Hunting / Sport | 26 | 167 | 86 | 208 |
Pump Action Shotgun | 21 | 150 | 93 | 206 |
Semi-Auto Shotgun | 8 | 138 | 99 | 209 |
Semi-Auto Rifle | 33 | 142 | 96 | 306 |
All Applications Types (Average): | 142 | 80 | 216 |
How long does it take to get a firearm license for a handgun in South Africa?
Out of the 197 firearm license applications that I analyzed, 53 of them were handguns applied for under “Section 13: Self Defense”. This seems to be the majority of applications, making sense as most people will use this firearm for self-defense and occasional sports shooting.
According to 197 of the most recent firearm license applications submitted and approved by SAPS, firearm license applications for a handgun take on average 136 days to be approved from the date of the application. The quickest application took 72 days, and the longest application took 204 days to be approved.
This is averaged out of all handgun application types, which include “Section 13: Self Defense”, “Section 15: Occasional Sport Shooting”, and “Section 16: Dedicated Sport Shooting”. Let’s look at how long these different license categories for handguns usually take.
How long does it take to get a license for a handgun for self-defense in South Africa?
53 out of the 69 firearm license applications for a handgun were for self-defense. This is the largest group of firearm license application types out of the 200 that I analyzed.
The average firearm license application for a handgun for self-defense in South Africa takes 132 days or just over four months. The quickest application took 72 days to be approved, while the longest application took 230 days, based on an analysis of 197 of the most recent firearm applications submitted to SAPS in 2019 and 2020.
Applicant: | Application Type: | Firearm: | Date Applied: | Date Approved: | Number of days: |
Ta***nt | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 10-Oct-2019 | 4-Feb-2020 | 117 |
Jua***odup | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 25-Sept-2019 | 5-Feb-2020 | 133 |
Juan***up | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 25-Sept-2019 | 5-Feb-2020 | 133 |
The***V | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 6-Nov-2019 | 2-Mar-2020 | 117 |
AB***om | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 6-Nov-2019 | 5-Mar-2020 | 120 |
AB***m | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 6-Nov-2019 | 5-Mar-2020 | 120 |
ea***ms | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 25-Oct-2019 | 1-Apr-2020 | 159 |
D******G | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 7-Jan-2020 | 15-May-2020 | 129 |
jvr***urg | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 6-Jan-2020 | 20-May-2020 | 135 |
Nul***egral | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 21-Feb-2020 | 15-Jun-2020 | 115 |
Ru***ne | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 26-Nov-2019 | 11-Jul-2020 | 228 |
Jo****M | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 7-Jan-2020 | 29-Jul-2020 | 204 |
Ds******J | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 8-Jun-2020 | 24-Aug-2020 | 77 |
le*****n | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 10-Jan-2020 | 1-Sept-2020 | 235 |
Ne*****23 | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 7-Jul-2020 | 4-Nov-2020 | 120 |
Ma**** | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 25-Mar-2020 | 10-Nov-2020 | 230 (Longest) |
El****c | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 5-Jun-2020 | 10-Nov-2020 | 158 |
F*****k | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 19-Jun-2020 | 10-Nov-2020 | 144 |
B*****d3 | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 9-Jun-2020 | 20-Nov-2020 | 164 |
St*******01 | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 15-Jul-2020 | 4-Jan-2021 | 173 |
m****de | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 2-Sept-2019 | 20-Feb-2020 | 171 |
Stev****d01 | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 1-Oct-2019 | 24-Jan-2020 | 115 |
Kwagga78 | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 13-Sept-2019 | 25-Jan-2020 | 134 |
Ne****dw | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 10-Oct-2019 | 30-Jan-2020 | 112 |
Adam****d | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 18-Oct-2019 | 30-Jan-2020 | 104 |
S****dw | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 6-Aug-2019 | 21-Jan-2020 | 168 |
Andre****dHug****d | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 1-Aug-2019 | 13-Dec-2019 | 134 |
D****dD | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 5-Aug-2019 | 19-Nov-2019 | 106 |
M****dJ | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 25-Jun-2019 | 17-Dec-2019 | 175 |
St****dn | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 16-Sept-2019 | 15-Jan-2020 | 121 |
wernervos47 | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 5-Aug-2019 | 25-Nov-2019 | 112 |
M****dley | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 27-Aug-2019 | 13-Dec-2019 | 108 |
K****To | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 7-Jun-2019 | 4-Oct-2019 | 119 |
Ne***ik | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 14-Jun-2019 | 7-Oct-2019 | 115 |
To***iger | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 24-Jun-2019 | 1-Oct-2019 | 99 |
Za***as | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 6-Mar-2019 | 22-Jul-2019 | 138 |
Ale****T97 | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 21-Feb-2019 | 30-May-2019 | 98 |
Sli***ie | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 28-Feb-2019 | 3-Jun-2019 | 95 |
Bi*ck ***41 | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 5-Feb-2019 | 21-May-2019 | 105 |
Nj***ms | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 28-Dec-2018 | 2-May-2019 | 125 |
Ma***sT | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 12-Mar-2019 | 23-May-2019 | 72 (Quickest) |
Eti***DH | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 19-Feb-2019 | 29-May-2019 | 99 |
Alexa****97 | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 21-Feb-2019 | 30-May-2019 | 98 |
El***ar | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 28-Jan-2019 | 10-May-2019 | 102 |
Mr***g88 | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 12-Jan-2019 | 6-May-2019 | 114 |
Vic***88 | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 13-Dec-2018 | 5-Apr-2019 | 113 |
drie***8 | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 1-Oct-2018 | 19-Mar-2019 | 169 |
W***ey | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 15-Nov-2018 | 20-Mar-2019 | 125 |
co****p | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 30-Oct-2018 | 28-Mar-2019 | 149 |
Willi****lman | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 9-Jan-2019 | 25-Apr-2019 | 106 |
awes***imus | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 14-Nov-2018 | 26-Mar-2019 | 132 |
shi***25 | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 9-Nov-2018 | 14-Mar-2019 | 125 |
M****th | Sec. 13 | Handgun | 30-Jan-2019 | 16-May-2019 | 106 |
Average Calendar Days: | 132 | ||||
Months | 4.4 |
How long does it take to get a license for a handgun for occasional sport shooting in South Africa?
Out of the 69 firearm license applications submitted for handguns, only 10 were submitted under “Section 15: Occasional Sport Shooting”. “Section 15: Occasional Sport Shooting” licenses do not require that you have “Dedicated Sport shooting Status”, making it a practical option to obtain a second handgun, where perhaps your “Section 13: Self-Defense” handgun is too small for sports shooting.
Based on the analysis of 197 recent firearm license applications, the average firearm license application for a handgun for occasional sport shooting takes around 134 calendar days to be approved. The quickest application took only 72 days, while the longest one took 139 days.
Applicant: | Application Type: | Firearm: | Date Applied: | Date Approved: | Number of days: |
Sla***ie | Sec. 15 | Handgun | 22-Oct-2019 | 19-Feb-2020 | 120 |
Bi***adow | Sec. 15 | Handgun | 17-Oct-2019 | 4-Mar-2020 | 139 (Longest) |
corr***as | Sec. 15 | Handgun | 23-Dec-2019 | 4-Mar-2020 | 72 (Quickest) |
Bis***arck | Sec. 15 | Handgun | 29-Jan-2020 | 6-Aug-2020 | 190 |
Bismar***941 | Sec. 15 | Handgun | 29-Jan-2020 | 6-Aug-2020 | 190 |
ni***na | Sec. 15 | Handgun | 16-Mar-2020 | 26-Aug-2020 | 163 |
Brand***8 | Sec. 15 | Handgun | 3-Jun-2019 | 1-Oct-2019 | 120 |
Bra***8 | Sec. 15 | Handgun | 3-Jun-2019 | 1-Oct-2019 | 120 |
Li***n | Sec. 15 | Handgun | 18-Apr-2019 | 29-Jul-2019 | 102 |
Cra***ey | Sec. 15 | Handgun | 8-Dec-2018 | 9-Apr-2019 | 122 |
Average Calendar Days: | 134 | ||||
Months | 4.5 |
How long does it take to get a license for a handgun for dedicated sport shooting in South Africa?
Out of the 69 firearm license applications for a handgun, 28 were submitted under “Section 16: Dedicated Sport Shooting”.
A firearm license application for a handgun under “Section 16: Dedicated Sport Shooting” takes around 148 days, or approximately 5 months, to be approved. The quickest application I found in this category took 90 days to be approved, while the longest application took 440 calendar days.
Applicant: | Application Type: | Firearm: | Date Applied: | Date Approved: | Number of days: |
Mr***mith | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 10-Sept-2019 | 15-Jan-2020 | 127 |
El***r | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 2-Sept-2019 | 25-Jan-2020 | 145 |
Mo***S1 | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 7-Oct-2019 | 6-Feb-2020 | 122 |
Baf***ers | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 1-Nov-2019 | 26-Feb-2020 | 117 |
Dan***pp | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 11-Nov-2019 | 4-Mar-2020 | 114 |
Mr***J | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 31-Oct-2019 | 5-Mar-2020 | 126 |
ban***080 | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 25-Nov-2019 | 13-Mar-2020 | 109 |
B***llay | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 20-Nov-2019 | 27-May-2020 | 189 |
RI***AR | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 14-Jan-2020 | 25-Jun-2020 | 163 |
Ol***elly | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 18-Feb-2020 | 1-Sept-2020 | 196 |
Blac***adow | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 23-Mar-2020 | 23-Oct-2020 | 214 |
Greu***en | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 15-Jun-2020 | 1-Nov-2020 | 139 |
Bjo*** | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 8-Jun-2020 | 16-Nov-2020 | 161 |
Lo***1 | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 6-Aug-2020 | 28-Nov-2020 | 114 |
Jose***les | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 18-Jun-2020 | 15-Dec-2020 | 180 |
a****ddy | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 13-Sept-2019 | 13-Feb-2020 | 153 |
D****dJ | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 12-Sept-2019 | 24-Jan-2020 | 134 |
ky****ri | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 18-Jul-2019 | 30 Sept 2020 | 440 (Longest) |
K****73 | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 6-May-2019 | 30-Oct-2019 | 177 |
I****c | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 25-Apr-2019 | 31-Jul-2019 | 97 |
ad****y | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 3-May-2019 | 5-Aug-2019 | 94 |
B****X | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 25-Feb-2019 | 16-Jul-2019 | 141 |
N****da | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 29-Apr-2019 | 15-Aug-2019 | 108 |
M****HP | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 27-Feb-2019 | 19-Jun-2019 | 112 |
Bk****er | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 18-Dec-2018 | 3-May-2019 | 136 |
p****uw | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 3-Jan-2019 | 7-May-2019 | 124 |
m****c | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 10-Dec-2018 | 12-Apr-2019 | 123 |
An****K | Sec. 16 | Handgun | 9-Jan-2019 | 9-Apr-2019 | 90 (Shortest) |
Average Calendar Days: | 148 | ||||
Months | 4.9 |
How long does it take to get a firearm license for a manually operated rifle in South Africa?
Hunting and sports shooting are deeply engrained in South African culture and history. They are some of the most licensed firearms licensed in South Africa. Section 15 of the Firearms Control Act allows an individual to apply for a license for either a shotgun, handgun, or manual rifle for the purposes of occasional hunting or occasional sports shooting. Out of the 200 most recent applications that I analyzed, 33 are for manual rifles for sport shooting or hunting.
Based on 197 of the most recent firearm applications submitted to SAPS in 2019 and 2020, a firearm license for a manually operated rifle for hunting or sports shooting takes an average of 154 calendar days. Applications submitted under “Section 15: Occasional Hunting/Sport Shooting” take around 25 days quicker than those submitted under “Section: 16: Dedicated Hunting/Sport Shooting“.
There are two ways to license a manually operated rifle in South Africa. The first and the easiest way is under “Section 15: Occasional Hunting / Sports Shooting”, and the second is under “Section 16: Dedicated Hunting or Sports Shooting”.
How long does it take to get a license for a rifle for occasional hunting or sport shooting?
Out of the 44 firearm applications for manually operated rifles, 18 were applied for under “Section 15: Occasional Hunting or Sports Shooting”
A firearm license application for a manually operated rifle under “Section 15: Occasional Hunting / Shooting” takes around 143 days to be approved. The longest application took about 310 days, while the quickest application took a mere 32 calendar days.
Applicant: | Application Type: | Firearm: | Date Applied: | Date Approved: | Number of days: |
Bj****81 | Sec. 15 | Manual Rifle | 10-Jun-2019 | 13-Sept-2019 | 95 |
El****rger | Sec. 15 | Manual Rifle | 10-Apr-2019 | 13-Jul-2019 | 94 |
Ru****phV | Sec. 15 | Manual Rifle | 17-Apr-2019 | 6-Jul-2019 | 80 |
Da****G | Sec. 15 | Manual Rifle | 19-Feb-2019 | 20-Jul-2019 | 151 |
sim****mal | Sec. 15 | Manual Rifle | 18-Sept-2018 | 25-Jul-2019 | 310 (Longest) |
K****aTo | Sec. 15 | Manual Rifle | 1-Mar-2019 | 11-Jun-2019 | 102 |
M****iusT | Sec. 15 | Manual Rifle | 12-Mar-2019 | 23-May-2019 | 72 |
Ch***D | Sec. 15 | Manual Rifle | 20-Dec-2019 | 21-Jan-2020 | 32 (Shortest) |
rp***07 | Sec. 15 | Manual Rifle | 25-Nov-2019 | 17-Mar-2020 | 113 |
th***er | Sec. 15 | Manual Rifle | 4-Nov-2019 | 20-May-2020 | 198 |
Av***M | Sec. 15 | Manual Rifle | 2-Dec-2019 | 25-May-2020 | 175 |
WC***G | Sec. 15 | Manual Rifle | 23-Dec-2019 | 25-Jun-2020 | 185 |
H***ou | Sec. 15 | Manual Rifle | 3-Mar-2020 | 1-Sept-2020 | 182 |
K***To | Sec. 15 | Manual Rifle | 17-Mar-2020 | 22-Sept-2020 | 189 |
Nev***3 | Sec. 15 | Manual Rifle | 7-Jul-2020 | 4-Nov-2020 | 120 |
gl***son | Sec. 15 | Manual Rifle | 20-May-2020 | 23-Dec-2020 | 217 |
Lo****ds | Sec. 15 | Manual Rifle | 4-Jun-2019 | 26-Nov-2019 | 175 |
toxi****x | Sec. 15 | Manual Rifle | 8-Feb-2019 | 24-Apr-2019 | 75 |
Average Calendar Days: | 143 | ||||
Months | 4.8 |
If possible, you should submit your application for a manually operated rifle under Section 15 because it is much easier to maintain. Suppose you have reached the maximum number of firearms you can license under Section 15 (Section 15 is limited to four firearms). In that case, you could apply for the license under Section 16.
How long does it take to get a license for a rifle for dedicated hunting or sport shooting?
Out of the 45 firearm applications for manually operated rifles, 26 of them were for “Section 16: Dedicated Sports Shooting”. To apply for a Section 16 license, you will need to first obtain “Dedicated Hunting or Sport Shooting Status” with an accredited association such as NHSA.
On average, a firearm license application for a manual rifle for “Section 16: Dedicated Sports Shooting” takes around 147 days, or 5 months, to be approved. The quickest application took 86 days to be approved, and the longest application took 208 calendar days.
Applicant: | Application Type: | Firearm: | Date Applied: | Date Approved: | Number of days: |
Vir***an | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 2-May-2019 | 1-Aug-2019 | 91 |
My***ni | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 18-Nov-2019 | 23-Apr-2020 | 157 |
ah***ltz | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 12-Nov-2019 | 13-May-2020 | 183 |
Riga***S | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 11-Dec-2019 | 15-May-2020 | 156 |
go***of | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 18-Dec-2019 | 18-May-2020 | 152 |
Mo***e*** | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 24-Feb-2020 | 28-Aug-2020 | 186 |
oaf***roll | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 28-Feb-2020 | 16-Sept-2020 | 201 |
Bl***es | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 20-Mar-2020 | 16-Sept-2020 | 180 |
h***nys | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 11-May-2020 | 17-Sept-2020 | 129 |
C***W | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 27-Feb-2020 | 22-Sept-2020 | 208 (Longest) |
CZ***W | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 27-Feb-2020 | 22-Sept-2020 | 208 |
Bo***ter | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 8-Jun-2020 | 3-Nov-2020 | 148 |
El***ac | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 5-Jun-2020 | 10-Nov-2020 | 158 |
glen***tson | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 27-May-2020 | 20-Nov-2020 | 177 |
Kric***73 | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 28-May-2020 | 20-Nov-2020 | 176 |
Jose***ales | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 18-Jun-2020 | 15-Dec-2020 | 180 |
ma****d980 | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 23-Jul-2019 | 17-Oct-2019 | 86 (Shortest) |
To****c | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 4-Jul-2019 | 12-Oct-2019 | 100 |
Ol****elly | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 24-May-2019 | 2-Sept-2019 | 101 |
ja****er | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 15-May-2019 | 9-Sept-2019 | 117 |
Gra****m12 | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 17-May-2019 | 4-Sept-2019 | 110 |
C****K | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 26-May-2019 | 10-Sept-2019 | 107 |
kope****oos | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 22-Jan-2019 | 9-May-2019 | 107 |
Rogu****eister | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 23-Oct-2018 | 1-May-2019 | 190 |
PW****jager | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 11-Dec-2018 | 25-Mar-2019 | 104 |
Lon*****nman | Sec. 16 | Manual Rifle | 12-Dec-2018 | 4-Apr-2019 | 113 |
Average Calendar Days: | 147 | ||||
Months | 4.9 |
Interestingly, applications submitted under “Section 16: Dedicated Hunting or Sport Shooting” took on average 25 days longer than those submitted under “Section 15: Occasional Hunting or Sport Shooting”.
Additionally, obtaining and maintaining “Dedicated Status” is more complicated and time-consuming than simply applying under “Section 15: Occasional Hunting or Sport Shooting”. Suppose you want to apply for a firearm license for a manually operated rifle such as a bolt action. In that case, I highly recommend that you submit your application under “Section 15: Occasional Hunting or Sports Shooting”.
How long does it take to get a firearm license for a shotgun in South Africa?
Out of the 200 applications that I analyzed, there were 29 applications for shotguns. Interestingly, the vast majority of the applications I analyzed were submitted under “Section 16: Dedicated Hunting or Sport Shooting”, even though pump-action shotguns are allowed under Section 15, which is a much easier license to obtain.
Shotguns may also be licensed under Section 13: Self Defense. However, there seem to be little to no shotguns being licensed for self-defense. This is most likely because, in South Africa, you can only license one firearm under this section, and the vast majority of people opt for a handgun. Let’s look at other types of applications for handguns and how long they take.
How long does it take to get a firearm license for a pump-action shotgun in South Africa?
After analyzing 197 of the most recent firearm applications submitted to SAPS, 21 of the most recent firearm applications for a pump-action shotgun took an average of 150 days to be approved from the date of the application. The quickest application took 86 days. The longest one took 319 days, which included an appeal process after the license was refused.
Applicant: | Application Type: | Firearm: | Date Applied: | Date Approved: | Number of days: |
Lou*** | Sec. 15 | Shotgun | 4-Mar-2020 | 22-Sept-2020 | 202 |
be****dz | Sec. 15 | Shotgun | 22-Aug-2019 | 23-Dec-2019 | 123 |
Jua***dup | Sec. 16 | Shotgun | 18-Oct-2019 | 13-Feb-2020 | 118 |
johndur*** | Sec. 16 | Shotgun | 7-Nov-2019 | 5-Mar-2020 | 119 |
johnd***urand*** | Sec. 16 | Shotgun | 7-Nov-2019 | 5-Mar-2020 | 119 |
mar***usk | Sec. 16 | Shotgun | 9-Dec-2019 | 13-Mar-2020 | 95 |
Da***G | Sec. 16 | Shotgun | 7-Jan-2020 | 15-May-2020 | 129 |
Alf***inson | Sec. 16 | Shotgun | 3-Mar-2020 | 4-Jun-2020 | 93 |
Tea***cam | Sec. 16 | Shotgun | 8-Nov-2019 | 11-Jun-2020 | 216 |
Josey***ales | Sec. 16 | Shotgun | 15-Jan-2020 | 13-Aug-2020 | 211 |
Mr***mith | Sec. 16 | Shotgun | 4-Jun-2020 | 16-Sept-2020 | 104 |
Deo***N | Sec. 16 | Shotgun | 13-Mar-2020 | 5-Oct-2020 | 206 |
De***_N | Sec. 16 | Shotgun | 13-Mar-2020 | 5-Oct-2020 | 206 |
Vu****dop | Sec. 16 | Shotgun | 8-Sept-2019 | 15-Jan-2020 | 129 |
St*** | Sec. 16 | Shotgun | 30-Jul-2019 | 24-Oct-2019 | 86 (Quickest) |
m***e | Sec. 16 | Shotgun | 20-Apr-2019 | 11-Oct-2019 | 174 |
D***ox | Sec. 15 | Shotgun | 8-Feb-2019 | 20-May-2019 | 101 |
p***w | Sec. 16 | Shotgun | 21-Nov-2018 | 4-Apr-2019 | 134 |
p***w | Sec. 16 | Shotgun | 21-Nov-2018 | 4-Apr-2019 | 134 |
L***an | Sec. 16 | Shotgun | 12-Dec-2018 | 4-Apr-2019 | 113 |
S***ak | Sec. 16 | Shotgun | 25-May-2018 | 9-Apr-2019 | 319 (Longest) |
Average Calendar Days: | 149 | ||||
Months | 4.9 |
How long does it take to get a firearm license for a semi-automatic (self-loading) shotgun in South Africa?
Out of the 29 applications submitted for shotguns, 8 of them were for semi-automatic shotguns. While you might think that a firearm application for a semi-automatic shotgun would take longer than a pump action, the numbers suggest otherwise.
Firearm license applications for semi-automatic shotguns take on average 138 days to be approved, which is around 12 days quicker than applications for pump-action shotguns. The longest application took 209 days, and the quickest application took 99 days to get approved.
Applicant: | Application Type: | Firearm: | Date Applied: | Date Approved: | Number of days: |
Ju***dup | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Shotgun | 18-Oct-2019 | 13-Feb-2020 | 118 |
Mr***J | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Shotgun | 7-Nov-2019 | 17-Mar-2020 | 131 |
cor***as | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Shotgun | 1-Jan-2020 | 28-Jul-2020 | 209 (Longest) |
K***D | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Shotgun | 7-May-2019 | 13-Sept-2019 | 129 |
B***X | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Shotgun | 18-Feb-2019 | 11-Jul-2019 | 143 |
De***n | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Shotgun | 28-Mar-2019 | 13-Aug-2019 | 138 |
P***z | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Shotgun | 27-Mar-2019 | 14-Aug-2019 | 140 |
Wv***h | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Shotgun | 27-Feb-2019 | 6-Jun-2019 | 99 (Quickest) |
Average Calendar Days: | 138 | ||||
Months | 4.6 |
How long does it take to get a firearm license for a semi-automatic rifle in South Africa?
Out of the 197 of the most recent applications I analyzed, 33 were for semi-automatic rifles. In South Africa, semi-automatic rifles can only be licensed under “Section 16: Dedicated Sport Shooting”.
On average, a firearm license application under “Section 16: Dedicated Sport Shooting” for a semi-automatic rifle takes around 156 calendar days, or roughly five months to be approved. The quickest application took about 96 days to be approved, while the longest took 306 days.
Applicant: | Application Type: | Firearm: | Date Applied: | Date Approved: | Number of days: |
pb***uw | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 10-Sept-2019 | 20-Jan-2020 | 132 |
La***o | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 10-Jul-2018 | 2-Feb-2020 | 572 (Longest) |
will***yn | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 29-Oct-2019 | 6-Feb-2020 | 100 |
mike***llinge | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 1-Nov-2019 | 20-Feb-2020 | 111 |
pa***nb | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 8-Oct-2019 | 4-Mar-2020 | 148 |
Mr***J | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 7-Nov-2019 | 17-Mar-2020 | 131 |
Jua***odup | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 18-Oct-2019 | 22-May-2020 | 217 |
he***arais | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 15-Jan-2020 | 4-Jun-2020 | 141 |
Fla***et | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 18-Feb-2020 | 13-Jul-2020 | 146 |
Fla***jet | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 18-Feb-2020 | 13-Jul-2020 | 146 |
ni***urie | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 22-Jan-2020 | 27-Jul-2020 | 187 |
Fr***yB | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 17-Jan-2020 | 20-Aug-2020 | 216 |
Mr***mith | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 4-Jun-2020 | 2-Oct-2020 | 120 |
ma***wane | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 30-Jul-2020 | 3-Nov-2020 | 96 (Quickest) |
Stev*** | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 22-May-2020 | 30-Dec-2020 | 222 |
Pd****deez | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 23-Aug-2019 | 9-Jan-2020 | 139 |
Dv****dnt | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 9-Oct-2019 | 25-Jan-2020 | 108 |
spo****dolf | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 14-Oct-2019 | 30-Jan-2020 | 108 |
will****dyn | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 29-Oct-2019 | 6-Feb-2020 | 100 |
pbla****dw | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 10-Sept-2019 | 20-Jan-2020 | 132 |
be****dz | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 7-Oct-2019 | 24-Jan-2020 | 109 |
P****deez | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 23-Aug-2019 | 9-Jan-2020 | 139 |
F***l | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 18-Jun-2019 | 30-Sept-2019 | 104 |
Bj***81 | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 1-Jun-2019 | 13-Sept-2019 | 104 |
G***Y | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 9-Apr-2019 | 6-Aug-2019 | 119 |
De***n | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 28-Mar-2019 | 13-Aug-2019 | 138 |
M***0 | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 28-Mar-2019 | 17-Jul-2019 | 111 |
ch***its | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 26-Mar-2019 | 18-Jul-2019 | 114 |
Gv*** | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 5-Apr-2019 | 19-Jul-2019 | 105 |
Jo***.e | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 25-Mar-2019 | 2-Jul-2019 | 99 |
V***op | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 10-Nov-2018 | 15-Apr-2019 | 156 |
W***ns | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 11-May-2018 | 13-Mar-2019 | 306 |
Av****2 | Sec. 16 | Semi-Auto Rifle | 1-Aug-2018 | 16-Apr-2019 | 258 |
Average Calendar Days: | 156 | ||||
Months | 5.2 |
To be allowed to apply for a semi-automatic rifle in South Africa, you first need to obtain “Dedicated Sports Shooting Status” from a recognized and approved shooting association. To maintain your dedicated status, you need to remain active by attending a minimum of shooting events every year and renewing your status with the organization you are a member of.
How long did your firearm license application take?
I find it interesting that some applications take as little as 32 days, while others can take up to a year to be approved. How long did yours take? Please let me know your experience by leaving a comment below. It will help other readers and will assist me in keeping this article as up-to-date as possible!
I applied for renewal on 2019-10-24. Looked at the SAP website to see the progress of my application and it showed “in progress”. Can it really take this long? This was done long before lockdown. What can be done about this?
Date: 2021-05-14
My Section 13: Self Defense Gun License application was submitted on the 20th February 2023 and 150 days and still not approved.
That’s 150 days and sitting at received at licensing section. Estimated date for Consideration is 21st December 2023. That will be close to 1 year.