Ownership of all .22 rifles currently used for target shooting at about 266 public schools are to be transferred from the defence department to the education department in terms of an agreement reached between them.
The rifles ”will be issued as gifts to schools”, the education department said in a statement.
Following a meeting between Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota and Education Minister Kader Asmal on the issue last week, it was also agreed that the defence department would make available some of its recreational ranges for shooting as a sport.
”The weapons currently in the possession of the schools will remain, in the interim, with such school until a policy has been developed where these weapons could be kept and made accessible to all learners.
”The possibility of providing the weapons at a district level (rather) than school level will be investigated,” the statement said.
The education department would approach its safety and security counterpart to discuss the licensing of the weapons. The South African National Shooters Union and the South African Target Rifle Association, working in conjunction with the United South African School Sport Association, would develop a code of conduct and ensure that the sport was accessible to all.
A business plan would be developed to ensure the sport was extended to all those who were previously excluded and to regulate how they would be represented through collective structures and within the school sport policies.
”Learners from disadvantaged schools and communities should be involved in the sport and no quota system must be used, as this will limit opportunities to those learners who have not been exposed to the sport.”
The statement said Lekota would consider responding to Asmal’s ”request that rifles (and ammunition) that were redundant for South African National Defence Force use would be available for distribution to schools”. – Sapa