The DA has launched a petition against the Firearms Control Amendment Bill which proposes a ban on firearm ownership for self-defence
South Africans will not be allowed to own guns for self defence under a newly-revived legislative proposal.
The Civilian Secretariat for Police Service (CSP) on Friday published a call for public comment on a 2021 draft of the Firearms Control Amendment Bill in the Government Gazette. Despite a promise in that notice, it did not publish the actual contents of the draft law on its badly outdated website – but revealed in a summary that it contains an effort to restrict gun ownership that is likely to be controversial.
The draft law seeks to “provide for the applicant for a firearm [licence] to provide a valid reason for possessing a firearm”, said the CSP in its description of the Bill.
The DA has launched a petition against the Firearms Control Amendment Bill which proposes a ban on firearm ownership for self-defence. We must protect gun ownership for self-defence as it is the last line of defence for millions of South Africans.
We urge the public to visit https://petitions.da.org.za/p/stopgunbill and sign the petition to keep “self-defence” as a reason to possess a firearm.
We also urge the public to oppose this draconian Bill and to submit their objections to comments.fcabill@csp.gov.za and to the DA at stopgunbill@da.org.za.
South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world. Disarming law-abiding citizens in the current crime-ridden environment is reckless, ill-advised and places many innocent civilians at the mercy of criminals.
SAPS is in a state of disarray, its dismal failure can be felt by South Africans from all walks of life, especially those in rural and gang-infected communities where police stations are understaffed and under-resourced.
SAPS should be making it easier for South Africans to feel safe, not more difficult.