Cape Town - The rampant killing of people with firearms has reached Parliament, with anti-gun lobby groups and civil society pushing MPs to tighten the screws on gun control in South Africa.
Chairman of the portfolio committee on police Francois Beukman confirmed on Monday that experts and lobby groups would attend the Firearm Summit in Parliament at the end of the month.
The SAPS’s annual report showed that 5 520 firearms were in the wrong hands last year, with some stolen from the police.
Out of 10 113 guns stolen from individuals and government departments, half of them were returned to their owners and the other half destroyed by the police.
Beukman said the summit would give direction on the tightening of gun laws in the country.
“The summit flows from our discussions in the portfolio committee on what kind of society we want,” he said.
Among those who are due to attend and address the summit are Police Minister Nkosinathi Nhleko, police chief General Riah Phiyega, trauma surgeon at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital in Cape Town Professor Sebastian van As and psychologist Dr Lane Benjamin.
Police crime statistics showed an increase in murders in 2013/14, with more than 17 000 people killed in that financial year compared to more than 16 200 people murdered in 2012/13.
The proliferation of illegal firearms has been ascribed to some, if not most, of the murders.
Other top South Africans to attend the gun summit include Danny Jordaan of the South African Football Association, Adele Kirsten of Gun Free South Africa and Independent Police Investigative Directorate head Robert McBride.
Jordaan made an impassioned plea last year for more stringent gun laws following the killing of Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa.
He had promised to lobby Parliament and the government on the matter.
Beukman said the summit would provide an opportunity for all stakeholders to table proposals on how to bring the situation under control.
He said there was a huge interest in the summit, ranging from the government to civil society, and specialists in various fields. Groote Schuur Hospital would give a report on murdered-children cases.
The report would be based on the impact guns had on children, as some of them were victims of firearms in domestic violence and other cases.
Last August, Luke Tibbetts, 3, was shot while sitting in a car with his mother in Westbury, Joburg.
A month before that, Taegrin Morris, 4, was killed during a hijacking in Reiger Park, Boksburg. The boy was with his mother in the car when they were hijacked.
The killing of Meyiwa in October followed that of other celebrities like Reeva Steenkamp in 2013 and singer Lucky Dube, almost eight years ago.
The SAPS’s annual report showed that 834 firearms were stolen from the police during the 2012/13 financial year and a total of 771 firearms were lost in 2013/14.
The report further stated that 10 113 firearms, belonging to individuals and institutions, were recovered in the previous financial year.
Out of the 10 113 firearms recovered, 4 367 belonged to individuals, 92 were from the police and 134 were from government departments.
The 5 520 illegal firearms were destroyed by the police.
“Firearms recovered also include those stolen or lost during previous financial years,” said the police’s annual report.
“A number of firearms without serial numbers are recovered after being used in illicit activities,” it said.
It added that once the serial number had been filed off, the gun could no longer be traced back to its original owner.
Political Bureau