![]() Africa Christian Action expressed fears that the Bill could be used by a tyrannical government in the future to the detriment of citizens. His organisation feels that the age limit for a gun licence should be 25 years in order to exclude school children and to make the implementation of gun-free zones in schools easier. ![]() Samuel Kobela of Gun-Free South Africa (Mapela) said his community had successfully adopted a campaign of gun-free zones for three years. Catholic Justice and Peace Community wants to see a reduction in the number of guns in private hands and they suggested that a bar-coded registration system of firearms would assist in making tracing of firearms easier. She said that the evidence of her research showed that effective gun control contributes to effective crime control. The Bill should aim at ensuring that gun-owners understand their responsibilities and do not endanger the lives of others through careless loss or theft of their firearms. ![]() She asserted that countries such as Botswana and Zambia which have stricter gun control laws have lower gun-related crime rates compared to South Africa which is viewed as having less stringent gun laws. Ms Katherine McKenzie, who has done comparative research in gun control legislation in other developing countries in Southern African, presented her findings. This is warranted by their special circumstances, namely escorting clients in potentially dangerous situations where they may be vulnerable to attack by wild animals. The Field Guides Association proposed that field tourist guides be included as a separate category under the Bill. The Homestead supported the Bill with minor changes being recommended such as reducing the age for prosecution for firearm possession from 16 to 14 years of age. They complained about the lack of firearm expertise on the part of the drafters and urged the drafters to work with firearms associations because they had experience in this field. They object to the extreme power given to police. These regulations are not yet available and will not be subjected to the legislative procedure and consultation. They noted concern that the application procedures have been taken out of the tabled Bill and are to be part of the regulations. The clauses still had the same overall effect. Even though the presumptions and the administrative fines in the Bill had been rewritten in the final draft, they were still unconstitutional because only the wording had changed. ![]() Amongst their policy objections to the Bill was the arbitrary limitation to the number of firearms a person can own. They submitted research indicating that not only was this not the case but that the opposite was true. SAFETY AND SECURITY PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE 14 August 2000 FIREARMS CONTROL BILL: PUBLIC HEARINGS Chairperson: Mr M E George Relevant Submissions: Clay Target Shooting Association Mark Kalell The Homestead Field Guides Association of South Africa Katherine McKenzie Africa Christian Action National Firearms Forum John Kotane Samuel Kobela New Generation Ammunition if required] SUMMARY Various firearm associations claimed that this legislation was based on the incorrect assumption that there was a link between high civilian firearm ownership and high crime.
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