How To Fight Gun Control South Africa

[NoStepOnSnek88]

Greetings all, 

So, in short, we have started a Telegram Group  , well actually two (2) to be specific the one is strictly an ALERT group only whereby if you "spot" something you simply post the link/s and contact details (email/s addresses), that's it, you're done.

Anyways, this Telegram Group is basically the thread on the GS Forum, but just a little more advanced, in terms of we can upload files, links, pin messages, sharing ideas, etc. without spamming a Forum/thread.

The "vision" is just to grow this group and keep on "promoting" it as people will come and go because life happens and obviously that will take priority over something like this. So, we must constantly try and add more people.

I will try to "promote" This group via Facebook on the various groups & pages if I'm allowed to.    The short-term goal, for now, is just to get a VOLUME of people involved and get them to PARTICIPATE (send out responses).

Lastly, I just want to thank Dick (not sure if he's on this Forum) for starting this idea and concept and sharing all his knowledge and giving us a "method" to "fight" back.

Big thanks and shout out to Wayne & Andre (not sure if they are on this Forum) from the private Facebook group, which is over (10) ten years old "People Against Gun Free South Africa" for contributing towards this group and idea.

So, the group went "LIVE" on Sunday morning, I then "promoted" the group on various Facebook groups, as well as Wayne & Andre's group, the "People Against Gun Free South Africa" a private Facebook group.

Well, since Sunday morning, there are 128 participants in the group total, there are two (2) groups one is the main group with all the uploaded PDF files and links, etc.

The other is strictly an Alert (report) group, spot the article, etc. report it on that group with a link, etc, and preferably with the contact details, that's it.

Anyways, I thought I'll share it over here as well, and keep this thread "alive" on this Forum as well, as much as I can. BUT PLEASE CHIME IN 

PS: Thanks for joining if you did, shared the links, contributed, took the time to read, or whatever, and again thanks for your continued contributions and support.

I hope I see some of you in the Telegram group soon.

Here's the link if you wish to join:

MAIN GROUP:
https://t.me/+qzLqIPl_FEg1ZDA0


ALERT GROUP:
https://t.me/+Xw9KNaOR_5dlZDVk


Cheers "Branden88" 

[Treeman]

Thank You Brandon, hope this creates more awareness and perhaps actions.

[NoStepOnSnek88]

Greetings @EVERYONE.

Does anyone perhaps have a subscription with them? If you do, could you please copy & paste, the entire article here, if possible? So that WE can establish, what to respond to exactly.

https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/opinion-and-analysis/opinion/2023-03-05-qa-with-gun-free-sas-jeremy-vearey-on-the-proliferation-of-guns-and-sas-spiralling-murder-rate/

[NoStepOnSnek88]

https://allafrica.com/stories/202303070474.html

"Cele said that the police service "will continue operations to detect and remove illegal firearms and ammunition, while legislation intervention in the amendment to Firearms Control Act to address the availability of guns in our communities is underway."

But the number of guns in circulation frightens many citizens.

Many of the firearms have been used in robberies and common assaults -- both of which are on the increase.

Some people are now calling for all gun ownership permits to be withdrawn and all firearms removed from the hands of citizens.

Contact details:

info@allafrica.com

info@dw.de

There's also an online submission form under this link https://m-corporate.dw.com/en/contact/s-30606

Just scroll down FEEDBACK and click on send us an e-mail.

You can basically just copy & paste your letter into that submission form after you've sent out your response to the email addresses.
If you come across more email addresses, please share them.

PS:
If you are not aware, we have a Telegram Group now for this thread:

ALERT GROUP:

https://t.me/+Xw9KNaOR_5dlZDVk


MAIN GROUP:

https://t.me/+qzLqIPl_FEg1ZDA0

[JamesNotBond]

Gun control seems to be a world wide program now.

[NoStepOnSnek88]

https://www.iol.co.za/weekend-argus/news/there-is-an-increase-in-missing-firearms-from-police-in-sa-0a3e40ca-7656-4b8f-b0c0-f40546052743


Gun Free SA has found that over the past two years, there has been an increase in guns stolen/lost by police officers.

Published March 25, 2023.

Written by

Ntsika Majiba.

Contact details, if you are writing a response.
Just cc the following email addresses in your response (email)

dutyeds@inl.co.za
lance.witten@inl.co.za
japhet.ncube@inl.co.za
kashiefa.ajam@inl.co.za
Sifiso.Mahlangu@inl.co.za

Here's the link to both Telegram groups if you wish to join. (Please join both)

MAIN GROUP:

https://t.me/+qzLqIPl_FEg1ZDA0


ALERT ⚠️ GROUP:

https://t.me/+Xw9KNaOR_5dlZDVk

[NoStepOnSnek88]

*** Shared on the Telegram Group ***

It's behind a pay wall, but the member has a subscription and managed to copy&paste the article for us.

If you haven't yet joined the Telegram Group here's the link again.

Telegram Group: https://t.me/+qzLqIPl_FEg1ZDA0



Link:
https://www.news24.com/citypre...-society-without-guns-20230430

Last week, 10 members of one family were shot dead in their home in Imbali, Pietermaritzburg, as they were whiling away the evening. A few days earlier, four men had been killed in KwaMashu, Durban, while having a couple of drinks.

Two months ago, gunmen walked into a house where a party was being held in KwaZakhele, Gqeberha, and opened fire. Four people died and several others were injured. This followed a similar situation in the same township a month earlier, when 11 were killed.

This is just this year. Last year witnessed a string of mass shootings at taverns around the country, with the worst being the one that claimed 16 lives in Soweto. For the past few years, Cape Town's townships have been the site of weekend massacres that took the lives of dozens of people.

This has been a sobering experience for us South Africans who are so used to seeing senseless killings taking place in that gun-crazy place called the United States of America.

We can comfort ourselves with the fact that our killings are not random, but are linked to feuds, rackets and gang rivalries. It somehow makes us feel better that our shootings are not done by disturbed individuals who walk into schools, churches, nightclubs and supermarkets and randomly shoot children and adults they have no grudge against.

The idea that at least our gun massacres have a rational basis is the reason for the complacency around gun control in this country. We do not want to admit that we have a gun problem.

South Africa's gun lobby has developed the fundamentalism that afflicts the US's firearm zealots who have made that country's constitutional second amendment an article of faith. Using the country's high crime rate as a pretext, gun lobbyists argue that the best way for good citizens to defend themselves against the criminal element is by basically armed the citizenry. This lobby has become highly litigious.

It has also become adept at inserting the protection of gun ownership and fighting off stricter firearm regulations by forcing it on to the agendas within some opposition parties.

What they conveniently ignore is that most of the guns that are in the hands of the criminal element originate from legal gun owners who lose them through negligence or robberies that they couldn't even use the guns to defend themselves from.

What this then says is that South Africa's civilian population is playing a big role in arming the criminals who terrorise us. In short, when you buy a gun, you are contributing to the criminals' potential arsenal.

There is, of course, the phenomenon of guns smuggled into the country through international syndicates – particularly the high-calibre variety – and those lost by police officers end up in the criminals' arsenal.

But a huge chunk comes from the licensed gun owners who want to make it even easier for them to own guns, with much reduced accountability. The gun lobby was even resisting the need for regular licence renewal, taking the matter all the way to the highest courts. When they lost the case, there were about 450 000 gun licences that had not been renewed, meaning they were technically illegal. The department of police then declared a six-month amnesty period for these gun-owners to regularise their gun ownership. By the end of the amnesty period, only 80 000 had taken up the offer. This indicates the sense of impunity and carelessness among individuals.

According to Gun Free SA, about 8 900 guns were stolen last year, most probably never to be tracked down until the thieves who have them use them to commit crimes. Yet we continue to have this lax attitude towards our gun problem.

Even as national crime stats show an uptick in gun violence and we witness the types of massacres we have seen, we continue to be in denial. And even as we witness the glorification of guns in popular culture and on social media, the issue is not being moved into mainstream debate.

South Africa has myriad urgent challenges, with violent crime ranking as one of the major ones.

It is an impediment to investment and economic growth, a driver of skills loss, a burden on the health system, a disincentive to tourists and a great cause of everyday pain and anxiety.

Guns are central to this scourge. It is obvious that dealing with the prevalence of legal and illegal guns should be central in the search for a solution. Reducing the number of legal guns would be a big first step.

Should we not be having a conversation about whether, in a violent society like ours, civilians should be owning guns at all? As we head towards an election campaign, shouldn't one of the major parties put out the proposition that we start working towards a society where only the armed forces and licensed security companies are permitted to own firearms?

Gun fanatics love to argue that it is people, not guns, that kill. But as Gun Free SA said in the wake of recent mass shootings: "A gun massacre cannot happen without guns. The increasing flood of guns and ammunition into our society means more gun violence, including gun massacres. Currently, 30 people are shot and killed every day in South Africa."This is a chilling message and a clarion call.

*** There's 5 email addresses that can be used, just cc all of them in your email response.

Editor in Chief

mondli.makhanya@citypress.co.za

Managing Editor

mapula.nkosi@citypress.co.za

Letters to the editor

Send us a letter via email here:

letters@citypress.co.za

opinions@news24.com

george.claassen@media24.com

[Treeman]

With our greater population mental, social inabilities, we will always have a problem of people who are not socially nor mentally equipped to own firearms. This is termed discrimination when recognized and acted upon.

[NoStepOnSnek88]

@Treeman ok sure, but the problem is GFSA, the government, SAPS, etc... don't want ANY solutions, you can bring research and solutions to the table, but that's not what they want, the ONLY goal is TOTAL CIVILIAN DISARMAMENT period, they don't care about crime prevention or reducing crime overall, the agenda is crystal clear.

[Treeman]

@Treeman ok sure, but the problem is GFSA, the government, SAPS, etc... don't want ANY solutions, you can bring research and solutions to the table, but that's not what they want, the ONLY goal is TOTAL CIVILIAN DISARMAMENT period, they don't care about crime prevention or reducing crime overall, the agenda is crystal clear.

*******************************
Oh! - totally yes !
 

[oafpatroll]

Anything belief based is impervious to facts that don't support the belief. Sadly that's what we are up against and facts don't play much of a part in this fight IMO. The WITS Shool of Governance report on the effects of the FCA being a really good example of that.

[NoStepOnSnek88]

Anything belief based is impervious to facts that don't support the belief. Sadly that's what we are up against and facts don't play much of a part in this fight IMO. The WITS Shool of Governance report on the effects of the FCA being a really good example of that.

You know oafpatroll, the other day a really intelligent guy said to me "This isn't a sprint and it's not going to be won."

Jirrrr , I never even looked at it that way, until he mentioned it, but YES that statement is 100% correct.... unfortunately so.

[oafpatroll]

That sounds like something you'd find in a fortune cookie.

[NoStepOnSnek88]

That sounds like something you'd find in a fortune cookie.

 

[NoStepOnSnek88]

https://youtu.be/ZH1Gn87kVRI



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*** 04:25, if guns are the biggest contributor to murder then reducing and removing guns from circulation reducing the availability of guns becomes a key strategy to reduce murder overall."

*** 06:58, "as you know there's a big debate of are civilians the biggest source of loss and theft of guns or are SAPS, they both are sources of legal guns moving into the illegal market, but we need to understand where did these guns come from and then that helps us to cut off the supply."


*** 07:34, "you have to have a dual strategy where you recover the existing guns moving in the illegal market and then you turn off the supply, you turn off the tap and one of the things that can help do that is to strengthen our gun law."

***08:45, "however most countries that have guns, have a Central Firearms Registry, some kind of database that enables the State to determine, who's got what guns at what particular point whether it's official institutions, civilians, the private security industry, and therefore your legal system of control becomes critical to helping you understand how many legal guns are there..."


***09:28, "no country can measure that which is why there's such a strong emphasis on putting in place really strong efficient Firearms control across the chain, from the point of manufacture all the way through to destruction."


I've listened to the interview and those were the main points from GFSA, so those are the points you can argue in your response email if you wish to do it in that manner. I could NOT obtain a direct email address to the YouTube Morning Live show, if anyone comes across "better" contact details, please share them.