After more than a century of gun control in several countries world wide one can certainly assume that the list of successes of such measures to control crime should be long and illustrious. But where is the list?

Contrary to that which the international anti-gun movement would like the public to believe, it can be safely stated that gun control has not only been proved to be a dismal failure to control crime, but the history of the tragic consequences of gun control which frequently followed such legislation is literally written with the blood and tears of millions of innocent victims murdered by the governments which were supposed to protect them.

Recent research by inter alia Dr. Franz Császár, Professor of Criminology at the Faculty of Law, University of Vienna, Austria and a team of Canadian researchers who analysed information covering no less than 33 countries confirmed once again that there is no relationship between high levels of gun ownership and high levels of gun deaths or violent deaths in general and that gun control only alters the profile of the gun owning public, i.e. gun ownership shifts from law abiding citizens to criminals.

So why, then, does the Government and Gun Free South Africa insist on the implementation of a new gun law, especially in view of the fact that the existing legislation, which is actually very good, is not properly enforced? Because the ANC has a declared goal to eventually disarm the entire South African population for reasons known only to them (Cachalia, 1993, Omar, 1997, Tshwete, 2000). And given the above situation, it is doubted if fighting crime is the underlying reason.

Much is made of our Constitution and the so-called constitutional rights of the individual. Yet, the proposed new gun law makes a mockery of this as it will grossly infringes on the freedon and rights of the individual in several ways while the implementation thereof will be exorbitantly expensive (R1,2 billion). This, whilst 122 police officers, who also had the constitutional "right to life", committed suicide during 1999 due to amongst other factors insufficient resources and low salaries. The proposed gun law will bring no benefits whatsoever to the general public and will only serve to restrict their freedom and rights while wasting valuable funds on a futile exercise and creating a potentially much more dangerous environment.

It is time thinking South Africans start taking the Government and the local anti-gun lobby to task about the unilateral creation and enforcement of unaffordable, discriminatory and oppresive legislation which will only benefits autocratic government officials and the criminal.

Contact details not for publication: [removed]

P. van Wyk

Na meer as 'n eeu van wapenbeheerwetgewing in verskeie lande wˆreldwyd kan daar sekerlik verwag word dat die lys van suksesse om misdaad op hierdie wyse te bekamp lank en indrukwekkend moet wees. Maar waar is die lys?

In teenstelling met dit wat die internasionale anti-vuurwapenbeweging graag will hˆ dat die publiek moet glo, kan daar met veiligheid verklaar word dat wapenbeheer nie net 'n patetiese mislukking is om misdaad te bekamp nie, maar die geskiedenis van die tragiese gevolge wat gewoonlik daarop volg staan letterlik opgeteken in die bloed en trane van miljoene onskuldige slagoffers wat veronderstel was om deur hul regerings beskerm te word.

Onlangse navorsing deur onder meer Dr. Franz Császár, Hoogleraar in Kriminologie van die fakulteit regsgeleerdheid aan die Universiteit van Wenen in Oostenryk en 'n span Kanadese navorsers wat inligting t.o.v. nie minder nie as 33 lande ontleed het het weer eens bevestig dat daar g‚‚n verband tussen ho‰ vlakke van vuurwapeneienaarskap en ho‰ vlakke van vuurwapen sterftes of gewelddadige sterftes oor die algemeen bestaan nie en dat wapenbeheer bloot die profiel van wapeneienaars wysig, naamlik 'n verskuiwing van vuurwapeneienaarskap van wetsgehoorssame burgers na kriminele.

Waarom, dan, bly die regering en Gun Free South Africa daarop aandring dat 'n nuwe wapenwet ge‹mplementeer word, veral in die lig daarvan dat die huidige, goeie wetgewing nie behoorlik toegepas word nie? Omrede die ANC 'n verklaarde doelwit het van totale uiteindelike burgerlike ontwapening weens redes wat slegs aan hom bekend is (Cachalia, 1993, Omar, 1997, Tshwete, 2000). En in die lig van die bogenoemde situasie word dit betwyfel of misdaadbestryding die onderliggende rede is.

Groot gewag is en word gemaak van die Grondwet en die sogenaamde grondwetlike regte van die individu. Dog, die voorgestelde nuwe wapenwet maak 'n bespotting hiervan daar dit op 'n growwe wyse gaan inbreuk maak op die vryheid en regte van die individu terwyl die implementering daarvan
uitermate duur gaan wees (R1,2 biljoen). Dit, terwyl 122 polisiebeamptes, wie ook die grondwetlike "reg op lewe" gehad het, gedurende 1999 hul eie lewens geneem het onder meer weens ontoereikende hulpbronne en swak salarisse. Die voorgestelde wetgewing sal g‚‚n voordele hoegenaamd vir die algemene publiek inhou nie en sal slegs hul vryheid en regte inkort en waardevolle fondse op 'n futiele oefening verkwis terwyl dit 'n potensieel baie gevaarliker omgewing gaan skep.

Die tyd het aangebreek dat denkende Suid-Afrikaners die regering en die plaaslike anti-vuurwapendrukgroep aanspreek in verband met die opstel en afdwing van onbekostigbare, diskriminerende en verdrukkende wetgewing wat slegs outokratiese regeringsamptenare en kriminele gaan bevoordeel.

Kontakbesonderhede nie vir publikasie nie: [removed]

P. van Wyk

_____________

Afrikaans text published in Landbou weekblad.
P. van Wyk is a member of the South African FirearmForum

Copyright © 2001 Crimefree South Africa, all rights reserved.