South Africa’s gun control laws are working
Gun control laws in South Africa have been effective in reducing the number of gun-related deaths in the country, according to the South African Medical Research Council.
In a new document published in the South African Medial Journal, the SAMRC said that its research showed that stricter gun control laws in South Africa have succeeded in reducing gun violence in the country.
In 2000, SA had one of the world’s highest homicide rates, estimated at 67 per 100,000 population, but this had almost halved by 2009 to 38 per 100,000.
The MRC pointed to several studies which have shown that the decrease has been most evident in firearm-related homicides.
“We found that in death notification data, the trend in gunshot-related injury deaths – irrespective of intent – was consistent with the findings of other studies” the group said.
The annual number of firearm deaths was increasing during the 1990s and peaked in 2000, the year in which the FCA was adopted by parliament, it said.
“Thereafter, the annual number of firearm deaths began to decrease, increasingly following the adoption of the regulations related to the FCA in 2004.”
In need of better policing
While the statistics shows a “good news” story, the MRC said that it also painted a bleaker picture when it comes to the enforcement of gun laws.
Specifically, the group noted that there was an increase in the number of gun-related deaths in 2012 and 2013, which corresponds with the police finalising the fast-tracking of more than a million firearm-related applications between November 2010 and July 2011.
This occurred alongside allegations of corruption in the licensing and selling of firearms, it said.
The SAPS reported 1,900 police guns going missing between 2014 and 2015 alone.
Still room for progress
Despite progress in reducing the number of gun deaths in South Africa, the country remains one of the most dangerous regions in the world for gun violence.
Data from the United Nations and the Small Arms Survey, South Africa has the 12th highest rate of gun-deaths in the world, with a rate of 17.03 per 100,000 people.
Because of the difficulty in tracking gun-death data – and the inclusion of suicides by gunshot in the numbers – many pro-gun groups and individuals dismiss the statistics.
However, the SAMRC said that the public should be wary of those advovating looser gun controls.
“When we have evidence that policies and interventions are working, we need to ensure that they are applied rigorously and consistently.”
“We should be wary of attempts to deny the evidence by groups and individuals promoting their own narrow ideological and commercial interests ahead of the public good,” the group said.
The MRC noted that 130 studies in 10 countries and found that reductions in firearm deaths were associated with the simultaneous implementation of laws encompassing multiple firearm restrictions in certain countries.
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