SA needs 'stricter gun control'
2004-05-25 11:26
Johannesburg - Following the tragic shooting by accident of former Springbok rugby player Rudi "Vleis" Visagie's daughter, Marle, Gun Free South Africa has called for stricter gun control rules.
GFSA on Monday called on police to apply strict measures when issuing firearm licences to protect the public against abuse by gun owners.
"Measures must require that people who want to apply for firearm licences undergo thorough background checks as well as thorough training on how to use a gun and when," said GFSA director Judy Bassingthwaighte.
She also urged gun owners to "actively" comply with the Firearms Control Act that was expected to be implemented from July 1 in order to help building the country "that is safe and secure for us all".
According to Bassingthwaighte, the new legislation contained measures that were necessary to protect the public.
The shooting of a 17-year-old street child, Siyabonga Malawi, in Cape Town and Marle Visagie, the 19-year-old daughter of former rugby star, showed strict gun control laws were long-overdue in South Africa, Bassingthwaighte said.
Bassingthwaighte also said complaints by gun owners that the Act was punitive were short-sighted and overlooked the "threat that guns pose to families, friends, and unsuspecting strangers".
She also urged the police to step up their operations to recover illegal guns.
- SAPA