/ 13 July 1999

GOVT STANDS FIRM ON NEW GUN LAWS

THE government has drafted tough new anti-gun legislation which, if passed by parliament, will outlaw nine out of ten legally-owned firearms.Angry pro-gun lobbyists have already begun campaigning against the legislation, which they say will be among the toughest in the world. The new measures are an attempt to bring down the level of violent crime in the country, which has one of the highest murder rates in the world with 20000 killings a year in a population of 42-million. The proposed laws will force the country’s 2,5-million licensed gun-owners to reapply for their licences. Licence fees will be increased from R50 to R500, while all applicants will be required to undergo a psychometric test determining whether their “main character traits and behavioral patterns” makes them suitable gun owners. Anyone showing an inclination to violence, and anyone convicted of domestic violence, will be prohibited from owning a gun.