Cape Town - Pro-gun activist Ian Cameron, erstwhile critic of former police minister Bheki Cele, and gun-free activist Adele Kirsten, had a stand-off on what would be best to bring down gun violence.
Cameron believes that encouraging legal gun ownership will give potential crime victims a fighting chance when confronted by criminals brandishing illegal guns. Kirsten and Gun Free South Africa, however believe, that a society without guns will bring down gun violence.
Cameron, a former spokesperson for anti-crime outfit Action Society, is now the chairperson of the police portfolio committee.
He is also the director of Firearms Guardian, a company that provides insurance for legal gun owners confronted by legal issues for firing their guns.
The police portfolio committee oversees the SAPS, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), the Civilian Secretariat for Police Service, the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA), the National Forensic Oversight and Ethics Board (DNA Board), and the Office of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation.
According to Firearms Guardian, they offer firearm’s liability insurance which covers owners during self– defence, accidental discharge, hunting accidents, sport shootings, firearm training sessions, unlawful arrest by the police and the Firearms Control Act related to prosecution – a first of its kind in South Africa.
When approached by Weekend Argus on their stance for a legal gun society and their online pledge, Cameron said that he could not comment: “I am (director of Firearms Guardian) in my private capacity, yes.”
Firearms Guardian has also begun an online pledge calling on legal firearm owners to stand in solidarity with their plight, stating that they have been placed in a negative light as citizens who want to protect themselves.
According to Johannes Stoker of Firearms Guardian more than 20 000 legal gun owners have heeded their call across the country.
Stoker said that their Security First Movement, an initiative of Firearms Guardian, emerged from their work with law-abiding, licensed firearm owners hesitant to use a crucial safety tool which strived to educate, support and guide gun owners.
“We noticed efforts by the government, groups like Gun Free SA, and the media to undermine gun owners’ rights in South Africa,” he said.
“The Firearms Control Amendment Bill’s proposal to remove self-defence as a valid reason for firearm possession, together with statements claiming that guns are the source of crime, unfairly group all firearm owners together, casting them in a negative light.
“A balanced view should include parents protecting their children from robbers and murderers, and community members responding to calls for help.
“Firearms play a vital role in these acts of heroism, levelling the field between criminals and responsible citizens.
“Firearms Guardian condemns any misuse of firearms for crime but celebrates community heroes who use them responsibly.
“The Security First Movement aims to provide a balanced view on firearm ownership; to create a community of law-abiding, licensed firearm owners; to educate and inform law-abiding firearm owners on best practices.
However Kirsten, director of Gun Free, said the organisation was worried about the ripple effects of legal gun ownership.
“On the pledge, it is irresponsible and misleading to encourage people to get a gun for self-protection as there is no evidence that shows that guns are effective in protecting your possessions and your family.
“Rather, the evidence shows that by having a gun in your home you put everyone at risk for injury or death, including the risk of it being used in domestic violence, or a child gets hold of it, and shoots someone accidentally.
“There is also the risk that your gun can be stolen, thereby feeding the criminal market, becoming a crime gun. The evidence shows that 24 guns are lost and stolen every single day from the legal trade, both civilians and the State.
Professor Guy Lamb, a Criminologist at Stellenbosch University said South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and that according to The 2022/23 Victims of Crime survey, which surveyed a representative sample of 42 746 South Africans, showed that the population had been feeling acutely unsafe.
He said only 37% indicated that they felt safe at night in their communities and that in 2021 the police minister reported that there were more than 1.6 million private licensed firearm owners in South Africa who owned 2.7 million firearms.
“Since then, there have been close to 500 000 new firearm licence applications, according to the 2021/22 and 2022/23 police annual reports,” he stated.
“Hence, it’s likely that there are around two million licensed firearm owners and about three million licensed firearms in the country.
“This begs the question: given that licensed firearms are being acquired by many South Africans for personal safety reasons, is a licensed firearm an effective means of self-protection in South Africa?
“After researching firearm crime and violence in Africa for more than 20 years, as well as serving as an arms trafficking expert for the United Nations, I have concluded that firearms can provide a degree of safety to users, but more importantly, they present a range of risks for users and society at large, especially if they are in criminal hands,” Lamb said.
“Drawing on anecdotal evidence, firearm interest groups in South Africa have strongly promoted the personal safety advantages of firearm ownership. They claim it provides firearm owners with lethal technology to defend themselves, their families and their property.
“However, there have been no credible South African studies to substantiate such a position.
“A recent South African study indicated that there was a higher risk of homicide during a robbery if both the perpetrator and victim had firearms. This was particularly the case for men as they were often more confrontational than women in such situations.”