The power of pressure: Firearm Control Amendment Bill held back
29 November 2021
“Extensive public outcry” has led to the Firearm Control Amendment (FCA) Bill being held back, according to DA Shadow Minister of Police, Andrew Whitfield. The Bill aims to deny South Africans the right to register firearms for self-defence. The holding back of this Bill marks a triumph for the effectiveness of public pressure.
Said IRR head of campaigns Gabriel Crouse: “Pressure works. Tens of thousands of South Africans made their opinions known, and fact-based arguments were put on Minister Bheki Cele’s table in a way that could not be ignored, which is why the drive to disarm people who just want to defend themselves has been halted.”
The IRR campaigned extensively as part of the pressure against the FCA. In June, the IRR’s evidence-based report, Don’t Add Chaos To Disorder, by Nicholas Lorimer, exposed the weaknesses of arguments aimed at disarming law-abiding civilians [https://irr.org.za/reports/
A month later, the thrust of the report was underscored during the July riots. South Africa witnessed the abysmal levels of police incapacity that compelled citizens from Durban to Soweto to defend themselves in the absence of police protection, reinforcing the argument in favour of the right to self-defence.