hmm i got to clients that wants to bring silenssers to rsa !cant find anything about if in the weapon rules for South africa is it legal to take in !anybody here that knows the rules?

Donner,
The fellow in front of me at Jo'berg last week opened his case to show his serial # and his rifle had one attached. It was a sporter style rifle as opposed to a Military/Law Enforcement type.

Don't know about the import/export laws but apparently they're legal there.

In RSA in 2006 our PH was carrying a silenced .270.

When I hunted is South Africa, I used the PH's silenced 6mm and saw a KILLER .308 in a sport shop that was equipped with a silencer.

From what I was told, silencers are legal, semi-autos are not!

I don't know the specifics of the sound suppressor regulations in SA, but Shof brings up an interesting subject.
In the US, almost across the board, hunting with a suppressor is verboten for big game hunting. Ownership of same, while legal in several states, requires significant flat rate taxes and paperwork, as do select fire weapons.
Yet, depending on where you go in Eurpoe or Africa, suppressors are fairly pedestrian. Yet, in Africa, semi's seem to raise the ire of the govt. Yet, some northern European countries, select fire is no big deal at all.
Ever wonder why American police favor shotguns but Euro police, who use 9mm sub guns, consider that abhorrant? I am guessing it is a cultural thing left over from WWI.

Silly isn't it? Millions of inconsistent laws to regulate inanimate objects and not one crime prevented.

Chet

From what I understand the reason suppressors are included as Class III weapons/devices is because back in the day our Game Wardens campaigned for them to be regulated. Seems they believed that they would be used for poaching.

quote:

Originally posted by Shof:
When I hunted is South Africa, I used the PH's silenced 6mm and saw a KILLER .308 in a sport shop that was equipped with a silencer.

From what I was told, silencers are legal, semi-autos are not!

Correct

Guys,
there is no law against posession of silencers here. They are available over the counter in most gun shops, and there is a busy little industry custom making them for larger/centrefire calibers.