Gun Free SA has called on the South African government to strengthen firearm regulation and address what it describes as the main source of illegal guns, arguing that destroying confiscated weapons alone will not reduce gun-related crime.
Marking Gun Destruction Day, the civil society organisation said authorities should focus on preventing legally owned firearms from entering the illegal market while improving oversight of firearm licensing and renewals.
According to the organisation, weaknesses in the country’s relicensing system have allowed thousands of firearms to fall outside effective regulatory control.
Calls For Stronger Firearm Oversight
Gun Free SA spokesperson Claire Taylor said civilian firearm owners remain one of the largest sources of illegal guns entering criminal circulation.
She cited figures indicating that approximately 24,000 firearms were reported lost or stolen by licensed civilian owners over the past three years, averaging about 22 firearms every day.
Taylor argued that government efforts should extend beyond annual firearm destruction programmes.
“Marking Gun Destruction Day cannot simply be about counting how many illegal firearms were destroyed,” she said, adding that authorities should focus on preventing new illegal firearms from entering circulation by enforcing existing legislation more effectively.
The organisation also urged government to identify and trace the hundreds of thousands of firearm owners whose licences have expired and bring them back into the regulatory system.
Gun Free SA further called for amendments to the Firearms Control Act to provide greater legal certainty regarding the status of firearms once licences expire.
Licence Applications Drop Amid Confusion
The organisation also expressed concern over a sharp decline in firearm licence applications since 2022.
Gun Free SA believes the decrease followed widespread misunderstanding of a Constitutional Court judgment involving Fidelity Security Services.
According to Taylor, some gun-rights organisations incorrectly suggested that the ruling meant firearm licences were no longer legally required.
She stressed that the court did not abolish licensing requirements. Instead, it ruled that while ownership of firearms remained with licence holders after expiry, the firearms themselves had to be surrendered to police while renewal applications were being processed.
Taylor said the judgment had been misrepresented, contributing to confusion among firearm owners and potentially discouraging licence renewals and new applications.
She added that the relicensing process remains an important safeguard because it confirms both that an owner remains legally fit to possess a firearm and that the firearm is still accounted for within the legal system.
Gun Free SA maintains that improving compliance, clarifying the law and strengthening oversight are essential steps toward reducing the number of illegal firearms circulating in South Africa.
Source: eNCA