When Lizette Becker decided to become a firearm owner, it was not out of choice, but survival. Having endured two violent attacks – one of which claimed the life of her husband before her eyes – Lizette understood the importance of being able to protect herself and her children. She became a Firearms Guardian policyholder, determined never to face danger without support.
On 7 March this year, on a Friday afternoon, her decision proved lifesaving. While driving to fetch her children from school, Lizette was deliberately rammed off the road by a truck. After being bumped once, the truck proceeded in her direction again. Fearing for her life, she revealed her firearm, without pointing it, to deter the truck driver. The Metro Police, who were close by, approached the scene.
When they arrived, the truck driver immediately accused Lizette of pointing her firearm at him and her ordeal escalated. In a matter of moments, her firearm, holster, and license were confiscated. Lizette was arrested and detained at the Booysens police cells.
“It was terrifying,” Lizette recalls. “I had already survived the trauma of losing my husband to violence, and now I was being treated as the criminal.”
From that moment, Firearms Guardian took action. Our legal team worked through the weekend to secure her bail and represented her when she appeared in court. On Saturday Henk Nolte, a director of Firearms Guardian and the appointed Firearms Guardian attorney visited Lizette at the Booysens police cells. On Monday morning she appeared on a charge of pointing of a firearm and the attorney assisted her with the bail application. Firearms Guardian paid her bail money.
The case was postponed several times for further investigation and ballistic test of Lizette’s firearm. Throughout her attorney argued to the court and the prosecutor that Lizette was innocent. Eventually, after the fourth appearance and very strong argument by the attorney the senior prosecutor decided to drop the charge.
Yet the battle wasn’t over. Lizette’s firearm had vanished within the system. Once again, Firearms Guardian stepped in, challenging the authorities until her firearm was recovered. After months of stress, Lizette was informed that she would finally be receiving her firearm back this week.
“The whole event, from start to finish, was very traumatic,” she says. “I don’t know what would have happened if I wasn’t a member of Firearms Guardian. They made all the difference. When they visited me in the police cells, I knew that I had a team of legal experts behind me who really cared and their professionalism was unmatched.”
Why Firearms Guardian Matters
Lizette’s story is not unique. Law-abiding firearm owners across South Africa face wrongful arrests, unfair treatment, and the risk of losing the very tools they rely on for their safety. Firearms Guardian exists to protect responsible citizens like Lizette – providing legal defence, bail assistance, and ongoing support when it matters most.
If you are a firearm owner, you cannot afford to face these battles alone. Join Firearms Guardian today and ensure that, if the unthinkable happens, you will not stand unprotected.
The Firearms Guardian policy is administered by Firearms Guardian (Pty) Ltd (FSP47115), an authorised Financial Services Provider and underwritten by GENRIC Insurance Company Limited (FSP43638), an authorised Financial Services Provider and licenced non-life Insurer.