Leandri Starbuck
Admin coordinator
Runs matters and custody partners day to day: new referrals, dealer applications and onboarding, document requests and communication with firms, executors and dealers.
Executors and families
A few decisions, in plain language, when the time comes.
When someone dies leaving firearms, the attorney handling the estate can ask Firearmdesk to look after them. This page answers the questions families ask first, then sets out what the executor is asked to do.
On this page
Questions families ask first.
Not sure whether you are the executor? The executor is the person the Master of the High Court has appointed to wind up the estate; the estate's attorney can tell you.
What happens to Dad's firearms now?
Nothing has to happen in a hurry. The firearms are part of the estate and stay that way until the estate is lawfully wound up. The attorney refers the matter to Firearmdesk; we verify the executor's authority, gather the documents and, once it is permitted, arrange custody with a licensed dealer. After that the executor decides, from the options allowed for the matter, what happens to each firearm: for example, transfer to a family member who is licensed, or sale through a dealer.
They are in his safe at home. Is that a problem?
Leave them locked in the safe and keep the keys safe. Do not lend, sell or move them. The estate's attorney will tell you whether anything needs to be reported to the police straight away; after that we take the arrangements from there, one step at a time.
How long will it take?
It depends on the documents, the custody site and, where it applies, an outside authority such as the South African Police Service or the Central Firearms Registry. A family member's licence application is decided by the Registry, and that alone can take months. The portal shows which stage the matter is at and who has the next step.
His licence expired years ago. Does that matter?
The High Court declared on 15 September 2026 that an expired licence does not, on its own, end ownership, and that the firearm remains an asset of the estate until it is lawfully dealt with. The current position is on the legal basis and updates page. The estate's attorney can advise on your case.
Do I have to hand the firearms over myself?
No. If an heir who will inherit the firearms already holds a firearm licence and has them, they can stay with that heir, with the executor's written consent. Otherwise we book a permitted transporter for the estate: it collects the firearms where they are kept, at home or with a relative, and delivers them to the licensed custody site, which issues a receipt on arrival. The executor signs the consent for the transporter and need not carry anything, though an executor named in the letters may deliver them in person. Please do not move a firearm yourself before the collection is confirmed; if in doubt, ask the estate's attorney.
Can a family member keep a firearm?
Transfer to an heir depends on that person holding, or obtaining, the required licence; the estate's attorney can advise on your case. Where that path is permitted for the matter it is offered as an option, and the licence application is shown as pending until there is evidence of the Registry's decision. Our guide for heirs explains what is needed.
Will I be asked to pay?
The estate pays the fees in the fee schedule, invoiced care of the estate's attorney and paid by EFT. If a firearm is transferred to you as an heir, you pay the transfer fee yourself. You will never be asked for card details, and no one from Firearmdesk will ask you to pay to release a firearm.
Is my information safe?
Identity documents and serial numbers are held in the secure portal and never sent by email. Access is limited to the matter you are invited to, and every access is recorded. Security and chain of custody.
What we do for the estate.
- The police paperworkWe prepare the Regulation 103 inventory, the notice to the Central Firearms Registry and the three-monthly reports for the executor, and apply for a temporary authorisation where one is needed.
- Safe keeping, receiptedFirearms are held at a licensed dealer's custody site. Each one is identified, photographed and receipted on arrival.
- One record for the estateYou and the attorney see the same status, and the estate file receives a closure pack with the receipts, the valuation, your instruction and the settlement records.
We take estates from anywhere in South Africa. We take the file within one working day of the referral and start the compliance work: the Regulation 103 deadlines and inventory, the valuation and any heir's licence. We handle estates throughout South Africa. Where custody is needed, we arrange it with a licensed dealer and coordinate any necessary transport for the estate. We confirm the handover arrangements with you.
Your steps as executor.
Four things you will see in the portal, in this order. Each one is explained on screen.
- An invitation, not a passwordThe attorney invites you to the matter. You open a secure link from your email and enter a one-time code. There is no password to remember and nothing to install.
- The status of the matterWhere the firearm is held (a licensed custody site), which stage the matter is at and who holds the next action. Internal storage locations are never shown.
- The approved valuationWhen the valuation is approved, you review it before any decision is asked of you.
- One instruction, signed onceYou choose from the options the law allows for this matter and sign an electronic instruction. The signed document and the record of what you read are filed with the matter.
The options you may be offered
You are offered only the options the law allows for this matter. Typical paths are transfer to a licensed heir, sale through a licensed dealer, or lawful disposal. If the position changes, the matter is updated before any affected step proceeds, and you are told.
- Nothing is decided for youAn instruction is signed by you, or it does not exist.
- Payment never triggers a releaseFees and release are separate. Payment status never triggers release or disposal.
- Proceeds go to the estateThe selling dealer deducts its commission and pays the balance to the estate or the attorney's trust account, never through Firearmdesk.
What it costs the estate.
The estate pays on two itemised invoices, sent care of the estate's attorney and paid by EFT. The main charges:
| Fee | How it applies | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Compliance fee | Once per matter where the firearms go into custody; R1,437.50 where a licensed heir keeps them | R2,242.50 |
| Custody coordination | Once per firearm received into custody, however long it stays | R632.50 |
| Licensed dealer intake, at cost | Per firearm received; the dealer's own fee, passed on with no mark-up, plus the dealer's VAT where it is registered for VAT, and invoiced after Firearmdesk has paid it | R200 |
| Licensed dealer storage, at cost | Per firearm a month from day 15 after receipt; the dealer's own fee, passed on with no mark-up, plus the dealer's VAT where it is registered for VAT | R110 |
| Written valuation | First firearm, plus R172.50 for each additional one | R402.50 |
| Dealer's sale commission | Charged by the selling dealer and deducted from the sale price; minimum R400; plus VAT if the dealer is registered for VAT | 10% |
Firearmdesk never stores, carries or transports a firearm. A licensed dealer holds each one; we pay the dealer's fees on the estate's behalf and pass them on at cost. Where the firearms have to move, we book a permitted transporter for the estate: it invoices the estate, and anything we pay it for the estate is passed on at cost, with nothing added for carriage.
An heir who takes over a firearm pays the transfer fee of R1,437.50 per firearm, never the estate. Firearmdesk is not registered for VAT, so no VAT is added to our fees. Fee schedule version 4, effective 9 October 2026.
What we need from you.
We ask for each item in the portal when it is needed.
- Your email address, given to the estate's attorney, so the invitation reaches you.
- A copy of your identity document, uploaded through the secure link, never by email.
- Where the firearms are kept, and who holds the keys to the safe.
- Any licence papers the deceased kept, uploaded through the portal. Please do not email serial numbers.
- A collection date that suits whoever has the firearms, and your signed consent for the transporter.
- Your signed instruction, once you have reviewed the valuation.
Who to contact.
- Your case and the law
- The estate's attorney, who advises the executor.
- The invitation, the portal or the collection date
- Firearmdesk at support@firearmdesk.co.za or 081 770 2885. More on the contact page.
Sample closure pack (PDF, 42 KB, 14 pages, opens in a new tab)
What the estate file receives at closure: custody receipts, valuation, the executor instruction and settlement records, for a fictional estate.
Already invited? Sign in with the link from your email.
If the link has expired, ask for a fresh one. There is no password and nothing to install.