The appellant was convicted in the regional court, Ermelo, of theft of a firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition under the Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000, and attempted murder. The offences arose from an incident on 1 January 2008 in Morgenzon, Mpumalanga. After consuming alcohol and becoming involved in an altercation over a girlfriend, the appellant left the scene, stole his father’s firearm from a locked safe at his parents’ home, and returned. He threatened the complainant, fired a shot at him, and attempted to fire again while pointing the firearm at the complainant and his cousin, but the firearm jammed. He pleaded guilty to the firearm-related offences and not guilty to attempted murder. He was sentenced to three, five and one year’s imprisonment on the first three counts, and ten years’ imprisonment for attempted murder, with all sentences ordered to run concurrently, resulting in an effective sentence of ten years.