CRIMINALS
PREFER UNARMED VICTIMS
So
why is the ANC government trying to rush through Parliament a new Firearms
Control Bill that would effectively outlaw most licensed firearms belonging
to law abiding citizens? Should the proposed Bill be enacted into law
the implications would be far reaching:
+
No person would be allowed to own more than one handgun for self-defence.
+ Licence fees could jump to R500 per gun.
+ Licences for self defence firearms to be renewed every 5 years.
+ Licences for hunting and sports purposes to be renewed every 10 years.
+ Licence renewals would be at the discretion of the Registrar (currently
the Minister of Safety and Security).
+ No licence holder would be allowed to possess more than 200 rounds.
+ Firearm Free Zones would be declared making schools, churches, shopping
centres etc. defenceless – soft targets for violent criminals.
+ The vast majority of citizens would be denied the right to own a firearm
for self-defence.
+ Your constitutional rights to property, privacy, and protection would
effectively be removed.
+ Your constitutional guarantees of presumption of innocence and access
to courts would be jeopardised.
+ The provisions for search and seizure, even without a warrant, could
lead to flagrant abuses of human rights.
Irresponsible
& Counter Productive
The proposed Bill would entangle licensed firearm owners in a vast array
of intrusive regulations and require much time consuming paper work. Even
more seriously it would require an inordinate amount of time from the
Police Service to process the vastly increased volume of paperwork and
to monitor the licensed firearm owners. Considering that legal gunowners
are not the problem why divert so much police manpower away from fighting
crime to harassing law abiding citizens?
The Bill ignores the basic human right of self defence and makes it a
privilege for a select minority. It places the burden on the applicant
for a firearm licence to “satisfy the Registrar that he or she needs
the firearm for self defence.” One would think in a country torn
apart by violent crime with one of the worst murder and rape rates in
the world that any law abiding citizen would have the right and a compelling
cause to need firearms for self-defence.
The Bill places arbitrary powers on the Registrar to accept, or refuse,
or revoke licenses or entire categories of weapons – at his discretion.
The Bill grants sweeping powers for search and seizure and arrest –
without a warrant!
The Bill provides for excessive penalties or fines – without even
coming to trial – and imprisonment of up to 25 years in prison just
for possession of a firearm that is no longer in accordance with this
Bill! Yet murderers such as the terrorists who were convicted of the St.
James massacre have been set free! It is blatant hypocrisy for the government
to claim that they need this Bill to fight crime. Murder and rape is already
illegal, but the State has let many convicted murderers and rapists go
free. What is needed is not more legislation but enforcement of existing
laws.
Gun
Control is where only the Criminals have Guns
There are estimated to be between 4 to 9 million illegal firearms in South
Africa.
The vast majority of these illegal firearms have been, and continue to
be, smuggled into South Africa from neighbouring countries, especially
Mozambique.
The Ministry of Safety and Security has reported, in Parliament, that
incidents of crimes committed by registered firearm owners are “statistically
insignificant.” As licensed firearm owners are not the problem –
why target them?
Firearms are not involved in the majority of murders in South Africa.
Knives and clubs and other blunt and sharp objects are used to murder
more South Africans than firearms are. Gun control will not end the violence,
it will only disarm the potential victims.
Each year, motor vehicles kill twice as many people in South Africa than
firearms do. Why don’t we just outlaw all motor vehicles? Because
motorised transport provides tremendous freedom and convenience. The solution
to the horrific carnage on the roads is not to ban motor vehicles, but
to improve safety features in vehicles, educate drivers, promote the use
of seat belts and severely punish drunken or reckless driving.
As with motor vehicles, it would not be right to take away everyone’s
freedom because of the criminal activities or carelessness of some.
Gun
Control Precedes GENOCIDE
In Germany, Gun Control was first introduced by the Nazis using the Law
on Firearms and Ammunition, 1928 and 1938. Adolf Hitler declared that
this innovative legislation, the first in the Western World, would make
the streets of Germany safer and enable the police to better do their
work! Hitler also predicted that other nations would soon follow the National
Socialist example by also limiting firearm ownership to government officials.
The greatest threat to life has not been from firearms in the hands of
private citizens – quite the opposite. The greatest killer in the
20th Century has been secular governments who have disarmed their own
citizens. Over 160 million people have been killed, so far, by their own
governments in over 40 communist states (including: the Soviet Union,
Red China, Cambodia, Cuba, Ethiopia & Mozambique) just in the 20th
Century alone. (UCANEWS 3/98)
In 1994, in just 100 days, more people were killed with machetes and clubs
in Rwanda, than have died from atomic weapons in all of history! The Hutu
MRND government of Rwanda, after enforcing a vigorous gun control, organised
the systematic slaughter of the Christian Tutsi minority. As the population
had been previously disarmed, they were helpless to defend themselves
against the state – which had a monopoly of weapons. Over 500 000
Tutsi Christians were murdered. (Holocaust in Rwanda published by Frontline
Fellowship)
A government that doesn’t trust its citizens with weapons –
cannot be trusted with power.
Armed
Citizens Save Lives
On 25 July 1993, five terrorists attacked the congregation at St. James
Church of England in Cape Town. In about 8 seconds the terrorists had
killed 11 people and wounded or crippled 55 as they hurled handgrenades
and fired directly into the packed congregation. Only the prompt action
of one armed member of the congregation ended the bloodshed. Drawing his
revolver, Charl van Wyk fired back at the terrorists, wounding one and
causing the heavily armed assailants to flee.
A U.S. Justice Department study (of more than 32 000 rapes or attempted
rapes) found that the best protection against rape is for a woman to be
armed. When a potential victim was armed only 3% of the rapes succeeded
(Rape Victimization).
A South African study, Armed Private Defence, by John Mann, concluded
that when an armed victim resists, the chances of surviving the attack
are increased by 31 times (SAGA News).
Professor John Lott of the University of Chicago Law School has published
his exhaustive 18 year study on firearms and crime. “More Guns, Less
Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws” documents that gun
control laws are counter productive – leading to an escalation of
violent crime. In fact those states with the largest increases in legal
gun ownership have also seen the most dramatic decreases in violent crimes.
Every day in South Africa hundreds of crimes are prevented, hundreds of
victims are protected and countless tragedies averted by armed citizens.
Speak
up for your right to self-defence
—
Unless you make a stand and speak up now, you may lose your rights to
property, privacy, presumption of innocence and protection.
— Ultimately this gun control could deprive you, and your loved ones,
of your right to life.
— Some people do use firearms to commit horrible crimes, but far
more people use firearms to prevent horrible crimes from being committed.
— Firearms are used as much as five times more often for defensive
purposes than for criminal purposes. Weapons control interferes with our
basic right and responsibility for self-defence.
— Those who choose not to have firearms still benefit from those
who do as the criminals do not generally know who is armed and who is
not. The deterrence value of armed citizens against crime cannot be overestimated.
— Contact the State President and communicate your concern and opposition
to the proposed new Firearms Control Bill.
Tel: (012) 319-1500 or (021) 464-2100.
Fax: (012) 323-8246 or (021) 414-2217.
E-mail: communications@po.gov.za
Contact
your elected representative at Parliament and encourage him, or her, to
oppose this irresponsible legislation.
Contact:
Victims Against Crime
Tel: (021) 689-4481. Fax: (021) 685-5884 and request a free copy of “THE
RIGHT OF SELF-DEFENCE” (in English or Afrikaans) and “What Does
the Bible say about Gun Control?” and order a copy of the “Holocaust
in Rwanda” book – at R15 a copy.
For
more information and resources contact:
Christian Action Network
PO Box 23632, Claremont 7735
Tel: (+27 21) 689-4480 Fax: (+27 21) 685-5884
E-mail: info@christianaction.org.za
|
