Infographic: Firearm restrictions in South Africa - For or against?

On Tuesday and Wednesday, 24 and 25 March, Parliament hosted a National Firearms Control Summit, organised by the Police Portfolio Committee. The summit comes at a pivotal time as the Firearms Control Amendment Bill is before Parliament. The event was well attended by the relevant government entities, as well as pro-gun lobbyists and anti-gun activists.

Pro-gun lobbyists fought against proposed restrictions on gun ownership, stating that the focus should be on addressing crime, not gun ownership. However, anti-gun organisations argued that the restrictions would protect women and children, who were often the victims of firearm crimes. They also warned that restrictions were needed to curb the theft of firearms from gun-owners, as well as SAPS and defence force officials.

Further discussion will be needed on firearm-free zones (schools, stadiums etc.) and the current age restriction on firearm ownership. Currently, the age is 21, but the Committee will be looking at decreasing the age to 18, while anti-gun organisations have asked for the age restriction to be raised to 25.

See the infographic below for some stats from the summit: