Firearm News
Tightening Gun Control In South Africa
19 August 2021
Conversation (South Africa)
Statistics produced by the police and mortuary surveillance systems in South Africa have consistently shown that firearms are the most commonly used weapons to commit murder and other violent crimes, such as carjacking and house robberies.
With this in mind, the Civilian Secretariat for Police Services which serves as the technical advisory agency to the Minister of Police, wants to have the Firearms Control Act amended to introduce more stringent firearm licensing... (GunPolicy.org)
Fewer Guns Will Save Women's Lives in South Africa
16 August 2021
Institute for Security Studies (ISS)
Fifty-eight percent of South Africa's domestic violence murder victims from April to June 2020 were women, according to national police statistics. Sixty-seven percent of these women were killed by a current or ex-intimate partner. In such cases, femicide is the final act in a pattern of chronic and escalating abuse. South Africa's rate of femicide has been estimated at six times higher than the global average.
Research has consistently shown that having access to a... (GunPolicy.org)
South Africa Destroys Almost 25,000 Firearms During Amnesty Periods
8 July 2021
Times (South Africa)
The police have destroyed almost 25,000 firearms, including weapons voluntarily handed over during the two previous amnesty periods, and those that were either confiscated or surrendered to the state.
The firearms were destroyed at Cape Gate Steel in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng, after a notice was published in the Government Gazette in June, with 24,910 firearms intended to be destroyed.
"About half of the firearms that have been destroyed were handed in during the... (GunPolicy.org)
South African Women Turn to Fight Rape, Murder Scourge
7 February 2021
Guardian
For the dozens of women training at a shooting range near Johannesburg, learning how to use a gun has become a means of protection in a country where a woman is murdered every three hours.
For the first time in her life, Ntando Mthembu holds a revolver in her hands. Without hesitating, she fires 10 bullets towards a cardboard target.
Last November Mthembu's cousin, left alone in a house for several hours, was gang-raped and murdered.
"Before it happens to me, I want... (GunPolicy.org)
The Roots of Pre-Election Carnage by Uganda Security Forces
20 January 2021
Conversation (Uganda)
For two days in November 2020, Uganda witnessed some of the most violent riots in a decade. The riots were triggered by the arrest of opposition presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, who is challenging the incumbent Yoweri Museveni in the February 14 2021 election. Authorities alleged that Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine, had consistently disregarded COVID-19 related election campaign guidelines limiting gatherings to no more than 200 people.
In the violence... (GunPolicy.org)
South Africa,United States,United Kingdom
Gun Trafficking from US to UK Increasing
12 August 2020
New York Times
Handguns are quietly being smuggled into Britain, despite tough gun-control laws. The police fear that the illegal weapons are contributing to a rise in gang-related crime.
NORTHAMPTON, England — Josh Bains was 28 when he was killed after an argument over a drug debt of about $50 just a few miles from the English village where he grew up — with a gun that had traveled thousands of miles from America.
His was one of a rising number of gun deaths in recent years... (GunPolicy.org)
The 2019/20 Crime Stats and Post-Covid19 Violence Prevention in South Africa
4 August 2020
Saferspaces
If it had not been for the national socioeconomic crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the emerging corruption scandals associated with funding for relief measures, there most likely would have been a public outcry following the release of the 2019/2020 crime statistics last week. Many South Africans were hoping that with the deployment of the South African Defence Force alongside the South African Police Service (SAPS) on the Cape Flats from 2019, as well... (GunPolicy.org)
New Firearm Amnesty in South Africa
1 August 2020
South African Government
Illegal firearm owners get a second chance with the new Firearm Amnesty period
A new Firearm Amnesty for a period of six months, commencing today, 1 August 2020 until 31 January 2021, has been approved by Parliament during this past week.
The previous amnesty period which was also intended for a period of six months, between December 2019 and May 2020 was thwarted by the unexpected Covid-19 pandemic. Despite this, the South African Police Service received a resounding... (GunPolicy.org)
South African Police Destroy 20,000 Collected Firearms
4 November 2019
The South African
The last national firearm destruction took place on the 17th of April 2019 wherein over 30 000 firearms were destroyed.
The South African Police Service plans to destroy 20 000 firearms on Tuesday morning by melting them, police spokesperson Colonel Brenda Muridili has announced. The destruction will take place in Vereeniging, Gauteng.
The firearms were seized by, surrendered to and forfeited to the state.
"To stamp the authority of the State the police have to... (GunPolicy.org)
South Africa Police Destroy Over 30,000 Collected Firearms
17 April 2019
Sunday Times (South Africa)
More than 30,000 firearms were destroyed by the police in Gauteng on Wednesday.
The firearms marked for destruction, at steel manufacturer ArcelorMittal in Vereeniging, had all been "seized, surrendered or forfeited" to the state, said police.
Police minister Bheki Cele was present and said: "Most of the firearms here today were surrendered. It is quite a period since we last destroyed firearms - it last happened late in 2016."
He said around two-thirds of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,Yemen,China,Israel,Russia,Brazil,United Kingdom,Germany,India,Canada,Austria,Australia,Mexico,United States,Japan,South Africa
How to Buy a Gun in 15 Countries
2 March 2018
New York Times
Many Americans can buy a gun in less than an hour. The process takes months in some countries. Here are the basic steps for how most people buy a gun in 15 of them. Many countries have exceptions for specialized professions, and local laws vary.
United States
1) Pass an instant background check that considers criminal convictions, domestic violence and immigration status.
2) Buy a gun. Many states have additional buying restrictions, including waiting periods and... (GunPolicy.org)
South African Police Destroy 23,000 Illegal Firearms [ES]
29 October 2016
Prensa Latina (Havana)
[Translated summary: Around 23,000 seized, illegal firearms have been destroyed by South African police. It is estimated that 9,200 of these guns were related to crime. Each day, an average of 18 people die by gunshot in South Africa. The minimum age to own a firearm is 21. The number of guns per person is limited and a firearm licence must be periodically renewed.]
Pretoria -- Unas 23 mil armas de fuego ilegales confiscadas por la Policía sudafricana fueron... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Seized 250 Guns During a Single Raid in Cape Town
28 October 2016
IOL (South Africa)
Tshwane - The South African Police Service on Friday seized over 250 firearms, ammunition and an undisclosed amount of money at a premises in Valhalla Park, Cape Town, acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Khomotso Phahlane said.
Addressing media in Pretoria on Friday evening, Phahlane said crime scene experts were still at the area, and processing the seized items.
"We would like to congratulate the Western Cape police who, during an intelligence-led... (GunPolicy.org)
South Africa Police Destroy Another 23,000 Firearms [FR]
21 October 2016
La Revue de l'Afrique
[Translated summary: South African police have destroyed 22,999 firearms, most of them seized from criminals. 3,156 were police guns that were no longer operational. Among them were revolvers, pistols, hunting rifles and assault rifles. Police are sure that destruction will contribute to the security of the country, which sees an average of 16 gun deaths each day.]
La police sud-africaine a conduit hier une opération médiatisée de destruction massive d'armes à feu.... (GunPolicy.org)
Cape Town Cuts Gun Violence With High-tech ShotSpotter [FR]
7 October 2016
Agence Ecofin (Switzerland)
[Translated summary: A total of 71 firearm incidents have been registered in Cape Town in September, while 128 were registered in August and 211 in July. The reduction is due to the implementation of ShotSpotter, a high-tech acoustic detection system which allows police to arrive quickly at the scene of a shooting.]
La semaine dernière, la ville sud-africaine de Cape Town a dressé un premier bilan de son utilisation du système numérique ShotSpotter, dans sa lutte... (GunPolicy.org)
South African Police Seized 85 Guns in Anti-Gang Campaign
28 September 2016
Herald Live (South Africa)
A massive police bust has netted 29 suspected gangsters – among them alleged gang bosses – and more than R1-million worth of drugs
The two-day operation saw a series of raids on drug hotspots across Port Elizabeth and other towns.
It involved 250 police officials and 26 K9 unit members and was part of the anti-gang campaign Operation Lockdown, which has been in full swing since March.
Police top brass hailed the operation yesterday as a success.
They also... (GunPolicy.org)
Brazil,Colombia,Mexico,Venezuela,United States,India,Nigeria,South Africa,El Salvador
World is Far Less Violent: Global Murders Halving in a Decade
7 September 2016
Foreign Affairs (USA)
The world has never been safer than it is right now. Most forms of violence have dropped precipitously over the past few centuries. Although conflict deaths recently spiked (the war in Syria accounts for one third of all war-related killings today), fewer people are dying from warfare than at virtually any time in human history. Terrorist violence also increased over the past two years—especially in six countries the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia—but it still... (GunPolicy.org)
South Africa Police Seize Firearms and Ammunition
18 July 2016
Parliament of South Africa (Cape Town)
The Portfolio Committee on Police has lauded the renewed focus on illegal guns by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), and believes such is necessary and should be supported.
Committee Chairperson, Mr Francois Beukman, said the recent operations by the Hawks in Morningside in Durban, Vanderbijlpark and Dawn Park where they seized illegal guns and arrested suspects is critical in ensuring that illegal firearms are removed from the streets.
"The DPCI... (GunPolicy.org)
South Africa Far-Right Leader Arrested for Gun Possession
15 July 2016
Eyewitness News (South Africa)
JOHANNESBURG – The Hawks have arrested the leader of the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) in the Vaal for possession of firearms and ammunition.
The 48-year-old was arrested at a house in Vereeniging, where he was found with eight unlicensed firearms and more than 2,000 rounds of different calibre ammunition.
Yesterday, another member of the party was arrested in Vanderbijlpark, in possession of nine rifles and three pistols.
The two will appear in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Tighter Gun Laws Worked in South Africa, Says 17-year Study
27 June 2016
Rand Daily Mail (South Africa)
Fewer people are being shot dead in South Africa thanks to stricter gun legislation, according to a 17-year study drawing on mortuary data.
SA Medical Council researcher Richard Matzopoulos, writing in this month's edition of SA Medical Journal, said this is proof that gun control works.
The gun-related deaths dropped from about 9540 a year between 1997 and 2000 to 3793 around 2007, a decrease of more than 60%.
This coincided with the gradual implementation of... (GunPolicy.org)