Larry Marks Attorneys

28/05/2026

Larry Marks is a highly prominent figure in South African firearm law, serving as both a specialized legal practitioner and a high-profile civil rights advocate for legal gun owners. He is the Senior Partner at Larry Marks Attorneys, a boutique firm based in Fairmount, Johannesburg.

Within the fi****ms community, he is widely recognized for his leadership roles and precedent-setting litigation against the Central Fi****ms Registry

Core Roles and Credentials

Gun Owners South Africa (GOSA) Leadership: Marks serves as a Non-Executive Director and legal counselor for [Gun Owners South Africa] the nation's largest firearm rights lobby group.

Tactical & Technical Expertise:

Beyond being a High Court-admitted attorney, he is a qualified fi****ms assessor and tactical instructor via his training outfit, Greybeard Tactical. This practical background gives him a deep, technical understanding of ballistic infrastructure and compliance.

Major Legal Impact

Constitutional & High Court Litigation: Marks routinely challenges South African Police Service (SAPS) administrative overreach. Notably, his firm acted for GOSA as an Amicus Curiae (friend of the court) in the landmark [Constitutional Court case Minister of Police v Fidelity Security Services], which fundamentally altered how expired licenses and firearm forfeitures are managed under the Fi****ms Control Act (FCA).

Defending Sport Shooting and Hunting Bodies: His firm actively litigates complex regulatory interpretations of the FCA, such as securing High Court orders that protect the delegation powers and certificate-issuing rights of accredited hunting and sports shooting associations.

If you are facing complex administrative issues with the CFR, multi-license corporate bottlenecks, or require high-level litigation regarding the Fi****ms Control Act, you can contact us for assistance.

advocates specialising in fi****ms control act law

18/08/2023

Last year my firm was privileged to be awarded the MEA Markets African Excellence Awards - Commercial Law Firm of the Year, Gauteng Award (2022)

Well, we did it again in 2023.

I would like to thank my excellent, loyal staff for your amazing creative support and always going above and beyond, with grace and humility, and also thanks need to go out to my special clients for entrusting us with your concerns and allowing us to "sort it out".

05/12/2022

We are proud to announce that we are the winners of the below award

05/09/2022

A recent article regarding the state of play in the IPP arena which involves out client DNG Energy.

DNG Energy is threatening online publication Daily Maverick with court action should the publication print any report without the company’s response.

04/07/2022

I'm often asked for a basic outline of our firearm licence regime in South Africa

Here is a non exhaustive summary:.

The civilian firearm law restricts one to a single firearm for self defence, which can be either a handgun or shotgun.

All fi****ms need to be carried covered in public.

One may have three other fi****ms, (handgun, shotgun or MOR), or four, if one does not have a self defence licenced firearm, if one is an occasional hunter or sports shooter but one may not have a semi-automatic rifle.

One is limited to possession of a maximum of 200 rounds of ammunition per licence.

If one wishes to have a semi-automatic rifle one needs to meet certain requirements and be granted Dedicated Status as a Dedicated Sports Person or Dedicated Hunter.

Once one attains dedicated status, restrictions fall away on the number and type of firearm as well as ammunition limits, (except for fully automatic, which is basically forbidden except in very peculiar circumstances.)

Each firearm has to be licenced under a specific category and the process to do so takes on average between 3 and 6 months.

Each licence has to be renewed every 2, 5 or 10 years depending on the category. Competency certificates need to be renewed before the expiry date of the longest running licence on each category

One also needs to undergo training for each weapon type and pass a written and practical test to attain a competency certificate for each type and then also apply to licence each firearm. The process includes interviews with family and friends.

Despite all that we have amongst the highest crime rates in the world.

So much for strict gun laws....

27/05/2022

Please find attached a recent constitutional court judgment where we acted for the 4th Amicus Curiae, Gun Owners South Africa NPC

Concourt

30/08/2021

So, I obtained an order today on a matter I argued last week relating to a proper interpretation of section 16(2) of the Fi****ms Control Act, on the question of delegated authority to sign the certificates issued by the accredited association for dedicated sports and hunting licence applications.

Unfortunately, the typed judgment has a patent typographical error in paragraph 43 which is critical to the finding by the Judge, and I am awaiting an amended judgment, before I post it.

In essence, the state tried to argue that a delegated person needed to submit their letter of delegation with each and every submission, even if they have been signing certificates for, in this case, at least 12 years.

The state also argued that the wording of the authority which referred to the signatory as a "juristic person", meant that she could not have authority as she was a "human person" and not a juristic person, the judge also made short work of that argument.

The judge made short work of the state's entire argument, and referred to decision back to the CFR with an order that they finalise the decision in 60 days, oh, and he also ordered that the Registrar and the Chairperson of the Appeals board pay costs on an opposed scale jointly and severally.

18/08/2021

It would seems the SAPS and GFSA have been a little economical with the truth

South Africa has

26/10/2020

25/07/2020

So, my client lost the appeal by the Minister of Police and Comissioner of Police, after it spent two years fighting for all firearm owners and its members, both paying and non paying.

Unlike many in the fi****ms community, it has not gone down into that dark night, and is neither crying nor beating its breast nor dressing in ashes and sackcloth, that is for quitters.

It continues to fight for the light.

Papers are being drafted for a further issue which will be going out on Monday, to obtain an order in essence that the National Comissioner of Police (who is also the Registrar of Fi****ms) and the Chairperson of the Fi****ms Appeal Board be held to be in contempt of the Court order of Basson J and further to declare that the applicant be entitled to carry the fireams and purchase ammunition with an official computer printout, pending receipt to the plastic licence card

Molon Labe