DA calls on Cele to scrap draconian Gun Bill, submits over 100 000 signatures to Parliament

25 August 2021

The DA can confirm that it has received more than 113 000 signatures rejecting the draft Firearms Control Amendment Bill which, among other contentious aspects, seeks to remove self-defense as a valid reason to own a firearm.

The DA will today submit these signatures to Parliament to ensure that the voice of every South African who signed this petition is heard. We thank everyone who signed the petition and submitted objections against this draconian piece of legislation.

The wave of violent protests and looting that swept parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng last month exposed the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) inability to deal with criminal acts. These events confirm that the draconian Gun Bill would achieve nothing more than removing the last line of defense for law-abiding citizens whose lives are constantly under threat by violent criminals.

Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, must do the right thing and scrap the Bill completely since it is now clear that the SAPS is incapable of keeping South Africans safe.

Because of the high crime rate in South Africa, millions of South Africans rely on self-defense as their last line of defense. The Bill is simply trying to disarm law-abiding citizens without addressing the core reason of the country's high prevalence of violent crime. Without the protection of weapons, South Africans will be at risk of having their hands tied behind their backs when approached by criminals because the police is simply too overwhelmed to protect communities. This is something the DA simply will not allow.

The 113 000 South Africans who objected to the Firearms Control Amendment Bill have sent a clear message to Minister Cele: they refuse to be disarmed by the ANC government.

Issued by Andrew Whitfield, DA Shadow Minister of Police, 25 August 2021