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/ 7 July 2003

Guns will kill 150 South Africans during UN conference

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About 150 South Africans will be killed by guns during the five days (July 7-11) that United Nations member states meet in New York to discuss their progress in curbing the proliferation of small arms, a spokesperson said on Monday.

Joseph Dube of Gun Free South Africa (GFSA) said according to a new report, most governments had not met their obligations agreed at the UN two years ago to stop gun proliferation.

The report compiled by the International Action Network on Small Arms (Iansa) evaluates progress in 156 countries and has been compiled by over 100 local researchers and experts, including GFSA.

It says small arms cause 500 000 deaths a year — taking one life every minute. In South Africa, gun violence is the leading external cause of death, with over 11 000 gun deaths each year.

The report finds that despite their obligations under the UN Programme of Action on small arms:

  • a third of all states have yet to establish a national contact point on small arms;

  • only 37 states have established national committees to co-ordinate action on small arms;

  • only 65 states have submitted national progress reports to the UN;

  • only 19 states have begun a review of national small arms legislation, while progress has been particularly slow in countries in North Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia.

    Yet the report also finds that significant progress has been made in some countries and that the involvement of civil society has been essential to this progress. The most successful initiatives in the last two years have been partnerships between governments and non-governmental organisations, while progress has often been slowest in countries where civil society is excluded.

    The report identifies priorities for governments to combat gun trafficking including:

  • establishing national contact points and co-ordinating bodies for small arms control and drawing up action plans for arms management and disarmament;

  • reviewing and strengthening laws on the manufacture and sale of small arms;

  • expanding weapons collection and disarmament programmes and strengthen security of state stockpiles;

  • increase assistance available for small arms initiatives and integrating small arms control into development programmes; and

  • starting negotiations on an international treaty to mark and trace small arms.

    Dube said police will again destroy illegal firearms on July 16 in Johannesburg, as they have done each month since January. – Sapa