Draft Policy on the Control of Firearms in South Africa

This report presents a proposed Ministerial Policy on the Control of Firearms in South Africa, designed to reduce the proliferation of both legal and illegal firearms. It recommends replacing the Arms and Ammunition Act No 75 of 1969 with a new Firearms Control Act, implementing a two-tier licensing system (personal competency and firearm possession), and fundamentally restructuring the Central Firearm Register (CFR) to improve database integrity. The policy emphasizes stricter controls on handguns, the prohibition of automatic firearms for civilians, and the creation of 'firearm free areas' to combat lethal violence.

• The authors estimate the pool of illegal firearms in South Africa to be approximately 500,000 small arms, the vast majority of which are handguns.
• The primary sources of illegal firearms are identified as theft and loss from private owners and the State, rather than international imports. Specifically, 14,636 SAPS firearms were lost or stolen over a nine-year period, and it is estimated that over 100,000 illegal firearms were stolen from licensed owners.
• Firearms are a leading cause of non-natural death in South Africa, accounting for 30% of all such deaths, which equates to roughly 18,000 people killed annually. In Soweto, firearms are used in over 70% of homicides.
• The report recommends a new 'two-tier' licensing system: first, a 'Personal Competency Clearance' to verify the individual's fitness and responsibility, and second, a 'Licence to Possess a Specified Firearm' to register the specific weapon's details.
• The proposed policy classifies firearms into categories, prohibiting Category 1 (automatic firearms) for civilians and restricting Category 2 (restricted use) to specific grave dangers. Category 3 covers civilian use, including self-defence (3A), occasional hunters/sports shooters (3B), professional hunters (3C), and bona fide sportsmen (3D).
• The Central Firearm Register (CFR) is described as having serious integrity problems regarding its database. The report recommends a Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) of the CFR and a mandatory audit and re-issuing process for all existing licenses to ensure accurate ownership and location data.
• The policy proposes the establishment of 'firearm free areas' where possession is prohibited, specifically targeting schools, hospitals, clinics, churches, government offices, and places where alcohol is sold for consumption on the premises.
• To deter illegal possession, the report suggests minimum sentences of five years for a first offense and ten years for a second offense of illegal possession.
• The report recommends strict controls on ammunition, including a limit of 200 rounds per calibre for license holders and a maximum annual purchase of 2,400 rounds per calibre.
• The policy suggests that SAPS members should generally not be allowed to carry service firearms off-duty, noting that 61% of the 236 SAPS members murdered in 1998 were killed while off-duty.

APA

Fanaroff, B., & Bester, M. (n.d.). Draft Policy on the Control of Firearms in South Africa. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SOCIETYANNEX4.PDF

Chicago

Fanaroff, BL, and MJA Bester. Draft Policy on the Control of Firearms in South Africa. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SOCIETYANNEX4.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Fanaroff |first1=BL |last2=Bester |first2=MJA |title=Draft Policy on the Control of Firearms in South Africa |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SOCIETYANNEX4.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fanaroffnddraft, author = {Fanaroff, BL and Bester, MJA}, title = {{Draft Policy on the Control of Firearms in South Africa}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SOCIETYANNEX4.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }