SAPS
GUNS AND CRIME FACT SHEET 2007
GUNS AND CRIME
Firearms destroyed between 2000-2007
In order to reduce the potential for firearms diversion (and increases in firearm violence and crime), the South African security forces, particularly SAPS, have actively sought to destroy surplus, obsolete and confiscated firearms. Table 7 below provides details on the number of firearms that SAPS have destroyed since 2000.
To date, SAPS has destroyed in excess of half a million firearms since 2000. The marked increase in firearms destruction from 2003 was primarily due the rolling out of the FCA. The approximately 100% increase in firearm destructions between 2005 and 2006 can be mainly attributed to the firearm amnesty process that was undertaken in 2005 (see Section 2).
Firearms destroyed by SAPS: 2000-2007
|
Year
|
Number of firearms destroyed
|
|
2000
|
12416
|
|
2001
|
16223
|
|
2002
|
26768
|
|
2003
|
72158
|
|
2004
|
79657
|
|
2005
|
88114
|
|
2006
|
161049
|
|
2007
|
74592
|
|
Total
|
530977
|
Source: SAPS: CFR
Source: Extract from ‘Under the gun’: An assessment of firearm crime and violence in South Africa 2008
Guy Lamb
Number of firearms lost or stolen between 1994 and 2006
Between 2000 and 2006, an average of 18,731 civilian firearms were reported lost or stolen, a 5.8 per cent decrease compared to the period 1994-1998. However, more importantly, from 2004 (when all of the provisions of the FCA came into effect) to 2006, an average of 15,054 civilian firearms were reported lost or stolen (a 24 per cent decrease). This may be an indication that the FCA has achieved some successes in promoting more responsible and safe firearm ownership amongst civilian firearm license holders.
From 1994 to 2003 there was an annual increase in the number of firearms recovered or confiscated by SAPS. In fact, by 2003 there had been an increase of 450 per cent compared to 1994. However, as Table 3 and Figure 1 reveal, there has been a gradual decline in the number of recoveries/confiscations since 2005, which is probably due to the gradual decline in loss/theft of firearms, the firearm amnesty process (in which 100,066 firearms were collected) that was implemented in 2005, as well as the successful recoveries/confiscation of previous years.
Civilian firearms reported lost/stolen (1994/95-2006/2007) and recovered or confiscated (1994/95-2004/2005)
|
Year
|
Number of firearms lost/stolen
|
Number of recovered firearms
|
|
1994/95
|
14,158
|
6,727
|
|
1995/96
|
15,045
|
9,834
|
|
1996/97
|
18,619
|
11,185
|
|
1997/98
|
29,009
|
10,750
|
|
1998/99
|
22,563
|
13,712
|
|
1999/00
|
22,740
|
14,272
|
|
2000/01
|
21,996
|
15,421
|
|
2001/02
|
21,892
|
19,756
|
|
2002/03
|
21,641
|
21,607
|
|
2003/04
|
20,427
|
30,208
|
|
2004/05
|
15,837
|
23,813
|
|
2005/06
|
14,842
|
12,351
|
|
2006/07
|
14,682
|
13,120
|
Source: SAPS Annual Reports (http://www.saps.gov.za)
It is important to note that not all the firearms that were recovered or confiscated by SAPS during this period were not necessarily those that were reported lost/stolen during the same period. Many of the weapons recovered or confiscated were likely reported lost/stolen prior to the year they were recovered.
SAPS firearms losses, April to May 2001/02 to 2006/07
|
Year
|
Stolen
|
Robbery
|
Lost/misplaced
|
Total
|
|
2001/02
|
131
|
368
|
444
|
943
|
|
2002/03
|
239
|
487
|
195
|
921
|
|
2003/04
|
219
|
412
|
304
|
935
|
|
2004/05
|
179
|
289
|
267
|
735
|
|
2005/06
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
2,297
|
|
2006/07
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
3,856
|
By the end of 2007, SAPS informally indicated that there were between 2.5-3 million licensed civilian firearms in South Africa, a 44 per cent reduction since 1999. In an independent 2003 study, gun dealers and gun shop owners confirmed a noticeable decline in completed gun sales due to the introduction of more lengthy and stringent licensing procedures by the SAPS. Source: Guy Lamb 'Under the Gun' : an assessment of firearm crime and violence in South Africa
Statistics on deaths as a result of firearm 2005
A total of 29596 cases were recorded at the 21 mortuaries that supplied data to the NIMSS in 2005, including 4800 (16.2%) cases that were due to natural causes and another 1255 (4.3%) cases that were either stored or viewed at the mortuaries. It is estimated that there are approximately 60 000 nonnatural deaths in South Africa annually that account for approximately 12% of all mortality. The analysis that follows is restricted to the 23541 non-natural deaths recorded by the NIMSS in 2005, representing approximately 39% of the non-natural deaths that occur in the country annually.
External cause of death:
The cause of death was unknown in 5.4% of the cases. The leading external cause of death was firearms (20.1%), followed by sharp force injury (15.9%), followed by pedestrian injuries (12.4%).
External cause of violence by age:
Age was unknown in 903 of the 9126 cases. Of the remaining cases, the average age of the deceased was
31 (± 11.9 yrs). The leading external cause of death for violence in the:
§ 0-14 age group was firearms (32.1%);
§ 15-24 age group was sharp force injury (44.8%) followed by firearms (40.2%);
§ 25-34 age group was firearms (45.2%) followed by sharp force injury (38.9%);
§ 35-44 age group was firearms (42.1%) followed by sharp force injury (38.6%);
§ 45-54 age group was firearms (42.5%) followed by sharp force injury (34.3%);
§ 55-64 age group was firearms (45%); and
§ 65+ age group was blunt force injury (29.8%), followed by firearms (26.7%), followed by sharp force injury (21.4%).
Source: A profile of fatal injuries in South Africa 7th Annual Report of the NATIONAL INJURY MORTALITY SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM 2005 http://www.sahealthinfo.org/violence/national2005.pdf
South Africa has 3rd highest annual rate of firearms deaths in the world
Statistics on illegal possession of firearms 2001 - 2006
Number of licensed firearms 2006
Statistics on deaths as a result of firearms 2004