“It’s a geographic conundrum. There are certain areas where the self-defence reason should be more than enough. If you want to take guns, there needs to be proper investigations into crimes.” — André Kruger
Photo: Alice Mpholo
The Civilian Secretariat for Police Service recently proposed legislature that would not allow self-defence as a valid reason to own a firearm. Naturally, citizens are divided on this matter, so we asked the Roodepoort Northsider community to weigh in on the matter.
*Not their real name
“It’s an ethical question and an ethical decision. Crime is out of control in South Africa and unfortunately the current process is in favour if the bad guys. The police are overwhelmed with cases. I am not for it but I am not against it. I won’t get one myself, but I understand why people would.” — Janine Nel Photo: Alice Mpholo“It is not so safe but we don’t prefer to carry guns. We are a small business and if someone attacks you or threatens you, sometimes it’s better to give them what they want.” — Marko Mofti Photo: Alice Mpholo“The necessary checks need to be carried out. If you live in a place that isn’t particularly safe, what would you do? It needs to be subject to the necessary checks such as whether a person is in a position to have a gun. There are pros and cons to this.” — Lois Griffin Photo: Alice Mpholo“It’s a catch-22. If you are going to own a gun then you should go for regular lessons at the shooting ranges. On the other hand, when you are put in a situation that’s potentially dangerous, how do you react? With proper training, a gun can add value.” — Nickey Seger Photo: Alice Mpholo“You can keep firearms but sometimes they can cause you problems. People don’t always know how to use them. It’s okay to keep one for safety but they should not be misused.” – Pritesh Patel Photo: Alice Mpholo“In South Africa, letting people use a gun could lead to them abusing their privilege. I agree with the amendment. There is no way to prove whether a criminal using a gun claiming that it was self-defence is telling the truth. There is no substantial evidence.” — Ashleigh Coetser Photo: Alice Mpholo
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