The Duty to Produce One’s Firearm for Inspection in Terms of the Firearms Control Act: The Right to Silence under Siege?

Authors

  • Phindile Raymond Msaule

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17159/1727-3781/2018/v21i0a4746

Keywords:

KEY WORDS Accused, arrested, detained, firearms, limitation of rights, right to fair trial, right to silence, suspect

Abstract

The right of the arrested and accused persons to remain silent at pre-trial and during their trial are significant to ensuring a fair trial. The purpose of the right to remain silent is to ensure that the state bears the duty to prove the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt. In essence, the right serves to dissuade the state from engaging in any manner or form of coercing the accused person to assist the state in meeting its case, whether during pre-trial or during trial. An individual who is accused of committing an offence must not through his or her words or deeds assist the state in satisfying its burden of proof. The Firearm Control Act 20 of 2000 (the Act) seems to dilute these rights. The Act empowers the police official to request an owner of a legal firearm to produce it within seven days of the request at a threat of a criminal sanction. At the time the request is made the individual has been neither arrested for nor accused of a criminal offence. However, on the failure to produce the firearm on demand by a police official the individual may be charged with a criminal offence and evidence that has been obtained in terms of the Act would be admissible at the subsequent trial. This is despite the fact that at the time the request to produce a firearm is made the individual does not have a choice but to comply with the request lest he or she be charged with an offence under the Act. The purpose of this contribution is to investigate whether the individual to whom a request to produce a firearm has been made is entitled to the right to remain silent entrenched in section 35 of the Constitution, and whether the limitation of this right by the Act passes constitutional muster.

 

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References

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LEGISLATION

Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1996

Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977

Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000

General Law Amendment Act 62 of 1955

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African Declaration of Human and People’s Rights (1986).

ICCPR- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966)

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and

ABBREVIATIONS

CILSA – Comparetive and International Law Journal of Southern Africa

SAJHR – South Africa Journal on Human Rights

SAPL – Southern African Journal of Public Law

TSAR - Tydskrif vir die Suid-Afrikaanse Reg

Published

13-12-2018

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Msaule, P. R. (2018). The Duty to Produce One’s Firearm for Inspection in Terms of the Firearms Control Act: The Right to Silence under Siege?. Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal, 21, 1-24. https://doi.org/10.17159/1727-3781/2018/v21i0a4746

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