Enfields Gas Axed

[Alan de Enfield]

From Surplus Rifles Forum :

I have just returned from a safari trip to South Africa. While walking around Cape Town, I noticed a gunshop in a little side alley called City Guns. I was naturaly drawn to this and after ringing a bell on the barred door, I was let in. Nothing unusual inside. Some hand guns and modern hunting rifles. The owner came up to me and inquired if he could help me. I told him I was a military surplus collector and just noseying around. "Come with me " he said and led me down some dark stairs to the basement. He rand a bell and an armoured door opened and my heart stopped beating.

In a huge workshop men were welding actions of every type of Enfield and Mauser you can imagine. You name it and it was being de activated. Beautiful long Lees and Boer war Mausers. Mint SA marked No 1 Mk3s. FN 308s and a few Stens, all being trashed. "Why" I asked. In SA there is a new law. All firearms, and almost all are registered with the police, have to be either de activated or handed in to be put in the crusher. The huge warehouse stores of Enfields, Stens ,Brens and Vickers have been destroyed as well as thousands of Webleys and 1911s.

I was shattered at this carnage of treasure. I could hardly wait to get out of there. Museums with great milsurp collections have turned their weapons in to be destroyed as they cant afford to cost of de activation. This makes all SA marked active rifles a collectors item. No more are coming out of SA.

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[bearhunter]

Yes, the insanity in South Africa continues. Throw off one set of shackles for another. Kill/maim thousands in the exchange process and then flush the country and resisting non conformers down the toilet. The majority got what they wanted, new jailers. When South Africa fails, I wonder who will feed the rest of the rebel nations? The sad fact is that South Africa really isn't that different from so many other countries around the world

[Beerhunter]

South Africa, in common with many countries including the USA has a massive gun crime problem and, in common with many legislatures, the SA Government has decide that it is easier to take on the legal gun owner rather than the criminal and thus to be seen to be 'doing something'.

How South Africa got that way is well known. In the last days of the previous regime, the police were used to fight the people of the townships rather than protect them, allowing the growth of criminality as a way of life. Once that genie is out of the bottle, it is difficult to get it back again.

[trooper554877]

It seems a very sad state of affairs in SA. Is there no legal ownership of firearms allowed at all now?
I as an aussie have a soft spot for anything SA. I have had the privilege of service with a few ex SA and rhodesian military people and trustworthy to the end. Thier sad stories of a country being turned upside down is heart breaking.
And to think that Nelson mandela was originally jailed for terroism. Trying to blow up govt building in Jberg. Now the world treats him as a hero, bit strange don't you think?

Cheers
NED

[Alan de Enfield]

Nearly moved out to live in SA about 12/15 years ago - wonderful country.

Several SA folks I've spoken with reckon that SA will be the new Rhodesia / Zimbabwe in the next 10 years.
Frightening thought

[Edward Horton]

I'm typing this posting on a computer with a “Non-Windows” operating system installed on it called Ubuntu Linux, this version of Linux I'm using was developed and funded by a wealthy South African.

The problem in our world is we have more non gun owners controlling the vote, the politicians and the money than the actual gun owners do. Money talks and I don't think we will see the gold and diamond power brokers falling into anarchy in South Africa in the near future. (Cecil John Rhodes was a Capitalist)

Linux is in open warfare with the more popular “Windows operating system” and is slowly winning more supporters and is gaining in popularity very quickly. The symbol for the Linux operating system is a Penguin, it is a “free” open source operating system supported by “more and more people world wide”.



Band together, circle the wagons and put up a good fight even when you are out numbered.

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