Today the Democratic Alliance held South Africa’s largest virtual firearm summit, bringing together civil society organisations, experts, concerned citizens and interest groups.
This summit comes as the Firearms Control Amendment bill is on table.
A key proposal of this bill, is to remove self defence as a reason to posses a firearm.
Read the draft amendment bill here.
DA Shadow Minister of Police, Andrew Whitfield MP, made the following statement
Today, the DA hosted the South African Firearms Summit with great success. Since the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, has failed to honour his invitation to appear at the Summit, the DA will send him a digital copy so he can hear the input from all sectors of South African society represented by the panelists.
The overwhelming consensus remains that South Africans are vehemently opposed to the Firearms Control Amendment Bill. This draconian and problematic legislation aims to scrap self-defense as a reason to apply for a firearm, but that is by no means the only reason why more than 76 000 people have signed the DA’s petition against this Bill to date.
The Summit:
The DA will continue to stand with all sectors of South African society and fight this unconstitutional legislation with every means possible. Minister Cele cannot rationalize leaving people defenseless while the South African Police Service (SAPS) budget for visible policing is being cut by R3.8 billion while VIP protection has been increased by R26 million. If he wants to leave South Africans defenseless, we challenge him to spend a month as a normal citizen, without his VIP bodyguards’ protection and honestly contemplate how he would feel without the means to protect himself or the lives of his family.
Self defense IS, and always has been, among the top 3 reasons to own a firearm. Disarming a population only serves to prevent said population from defending themselves from tyranny, and a government controlling every aspect of people’s lives. If more countries would adopt/ enforce the American Bill of Rights, especially including the right to keep and bear arms, more countries would be freer, and have more liberty, than any time in world history. American Leftist politicians talk a big game about taking our guns, and some right wing organizations use a lot of scare tactics to make us think they’re taking our guns, but reality has something to say on that matter. And the reality is, NO ONE, will EVER take American’s guns from us… not without immense bloodshed. Another reality is, there’s far, FAR more millions of US, than THEM. We will not let that happen.
How can we disarm the general public, when we have an inept Police Force, and at times difficult to separate the criminal’s from the police force, (recent attack by SAP member on farmer in Boksburg)
The fact that handed in firearms have been sold to criminals by SAP’s members is actually beyond disgusting.
How can you have the head of police asking you to give up your last hope of defending yourself………The Fish rots from the head down…….