The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) rejects with contempt the silly attempts by AfriForum and other right-wing extremists to block Nedlac engagements on the Firearms Amendment Bill and thus fulfilling its statutory obligation to provide space for government to consult business, labour and community on various socio-economic and labour policies and legislation. COSATU, unlike these peace time warriors, fought and suffered to achieve this constitutional democracy. It is not a matter the Federation takes lightly and no amount of temper tantrums by some bored, aging juveniles will deter Nedlac from doing its work.
AfriForum and its little friends lament that government does not indulge their ill-considered grievances, yet the Police Secretariat gazetted the Bill for public comments, engaged stakeholders including the various gun lobbies, industry, hunting and sporting associations and made adjustments to the Bill where reasonable proposals were made. It is beyond infantile that some of these same self-entitled brats seek to deny business, labour and community at Nedlac that very same courtesy.
Firearms and their direct relationship to South Africa’s extreme levels of violent crime are a matter of great concern to millions of working-class families. A police officer is murdered each week, most due to gun shots. Thirty-three South Africans are killed by firearms daily. This rate has doubled over the past two decades. The gun lobby claims that legal firearms deter crime, yet this is not born out by facts. Over 24 legal firearms are stolen every day; 29% of murders are gun related. Gun owners are four times as likely to have their firearms stolen than to use them in self-defence and 2.5 times as likely to be killed during burglaries.
When government led by the African National Congress introduced the Firearms Act in 2000 within a five-year period 800 000 firearms were recovered by the South African Police Service and the South African National Defence Force, 4 500 fewer deaths occurred due to firearms, and there was a 35% decrease in the number of stolen firearms.
COSATU, like all other calm and sober organisations, understands the direct link between legal firearms that find their way into the hands of criminals and our unacceptably high levels of gun related crimes. Owning a firearm is a privilege and not a right. Our police and traffic officers, security and cash-in-transit guards deserve to have their right to life respected. Women and children deserve the right not to fear being killed with a gun by a loved one at home. The Constitution guarantees all South Africans the right to life and places an obligation upon the state to provide society with the necessary safety and security.
There is a place in society for the responsible ownership of firearms for legitimate self-defence, sports and hunting. But these must be done within clear parameters. The Bill provides rational and fair measures to achieve this. It includes long overdue and progressive clauses elevating gun ownership for real not imagined self-defence, clear prohibitions on certain high calibre and automatic firearms, bans on persons with gender-based and other violent criminal charges and convictions, the automatic testing of all firearms for a central ballistics database to improve SAPS’ capabilities to identify perpetrators, as well as limitations on the number of firearms and ammunition a person may own. These do not amount to a ban on firearm ownership but rather a welcome attempt by government to nudge South Africa towards a more responsible approach to firearms, to stem the flood of guns used to kill over 12 000 annually and create a safer society.
COSATU welcomes this progressive Bill and looks forward to constructive engagements at Nedlac, including with industry, the sporting and hunting fraternity, on how this important legislation can be enriched and ultimately passed into law by Parliament and implemented by government.
Issued by COSATU
Matthew Parks (COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator)
Mobile: 082 785 0687
Email: matthew@cosatu.org.za