S Africa puts safety catch on gun sales
Gavin du Venage, Cape Town
September 30, 2004
"BETTER a warm gun than a cold grave" reads a poster in a once busy gun shop window. The friendly neighbourhood firearm dealer, as much a part of South African life as the barbecue, may be about to disappear.
Up to 15,000 guns are usually sold every month, mostly to private individuals. The reason: crime. Police say 20,000 South Africans die violently each year. In Australia, by comparison, 350 people were murdered in 2003.
For many South Africans, owning a firearm is the only guarantee against becoming another crime victim.
"I want to wake up and read a headline in the paper that says criminals live in fear of the public," said Rossouw
Botha, proprietor of Redneck Tactical Solutions, a gun store in the town of George, east of Cape Town.
His shop usually does a brisk trade but in July a new law was introduced that forces gun owners to re-apply for their licences, and new owners to go through a time-consuming and expensive vetting process. Since then sales across the country have dropped to almost zero.
Two million South Africans legally own guns, ranging from mass production Chinese-made pistols to handmade heavy-duty hunting rifles. The sheer proliferation of firepower has made government and anti-gun organisations uncomfortable and this is the reason for the clampdown.
"Many people don't like the idea that sometimes violence is the only answer to violence," Mr Botha said. "You can't negotiate with a man who wants to kill you for the contents of your wallet."
Mr Botha said he named his store Redneck for "a laugh" and because of the perception that "gun owners are a brand of white man given to shooting first and asking questions later".
The police, who routinely pack side-arms, automatic rifles and bullet-proof vests, are not safe either. The 200 or so who die each year are usually killed while off-duty by criminals intent on stealing their weapons.
All the more reason for the ordinary public to arm themselves, say gun proponents.
from 'The Australian'
Gavin du Venage, Cape Town
September 30, 2004
"BETTER a warm gun than a cold grave" reads a poster in a once busy gun shop window. The friendly neighbourhood firearm dealer, as much a part of South African life as the barbecue, may be about to disappear.
Up to 15,000 guns are usually sold every month, mostly to private individuals. The reason: crime. Police say 20,000 South Africans die violently each year. In Australia, by comparison, 350 people were murdered in 2003.
For many South Africans, owning a firearm is the only guarantee against becoming another crime victim.
"I want to wake up and read a headline in the paper that says criminals live in fear of the public," said Rossouw
Botha, proprietor of Redneck Tactical Solutions, a gun store in the town of George, east of Cape Town.
His shop usually does a brisk trade but in July a new law was introduced that forces gun owners to re-apply for their licences, and new owners to go through a time-consuming and expensive vetting process. Since then sales across the country have dropped to almost zero.
Two million South Africans legally own guns, ranging from mass production Chinese-made pistols to handmade heavy-duty hunting rifles. The sheer proliferation of firepower has made government and anti-gun organisations uncomfortable and this is the reason for the clampdown.
"Many people don't like the idea that sometimes violence is the only answer to violence," Mr Botha said. "You can't negotiate with a man who wants to kill you for the contents of your wallet."
Mr Botha said he named his store Redneck for "a laugh" and because of the perception that "gun owners are a brand of white man given to shooting first and asking questions later".
The police, who routinely pack side-arms, automatic rifles and bullet-proof vests, are not safe either. The 200 or so who die each year are usually killed while off-duty by criminals intent on stealing their weapons.
All the more reason for the ordinary public to arm themselves, say gun proponents.
from 'The Australian'
