Government wants gun ban

GOVERNMENT intends to impose a temporary moratorium on issuing firearm licences and to amend several sections of the law regulating the possession of arms.

In a ministerial statement, Peter Tsheehama, who is the Minister of Safety and Security, told the National Assembly on Tuesday that one of the proposed amendments would be to prohibit the sale of small firearms and light weapons “to individual, natural persons.” Once he tabled the amendments to the Arms and Ammunition Act of 1996, Parliament should also consider whether the Ministry could “buy back all the legal firearms and light weapons from their rightful owners and compensate them.”The Minister did not say how this mammoth task would be undertaken and what the costs would be.”From 1998 to 2002, when the re-registration of firearms was carried out, some 90 038 firearms were licensed by the Police and 86 571 of them were for private owners,” Tsheehama said.”During 2003 to 2006, some 27 166 arms were licensed.We have a society that is arming itself more than the Police force, which is expected to police them,” he added.”In view of the ease with which firearms are acquired, our society is more exposed to the perils of violent crimes.”According to the Minister, most of the firearms in the country are used to commit serious crimes, thus amendments to the existing Act are urgently needed.He did not say where he got this statistic from.He said a shortcoming in the existing law was that no competency tests were performed at gun shops when people bought firearms.”No provision exists for the renewal of existing licences,” he added.Tsheehama did not reveal when he would table the amendments or when the moratorium would be put in place.He then quoted some statistics, such as 948 cases of attempted murder with firearms in 2006, compared to 956 cases in 2005.Murders with a firearm came to 332 cases in 2006, up from 309 the year before.Robberies with firearms decreased however, with 1 605 cases recorded last year against 1 797 in 2005.Firearm thefts amounted to 681 last year and 668 in 2005.Once he tabled the amendments to the Arms and Ammunition Act of 1996, Parliament should also consider whether the Ministry could “buy back all the legal firearms and light weapons from their rightful owners and compensate them.”The Minister did not say how this mammoth task would be undertaken and what the costs would be.”From 1998 to 2002, when the re-registration of firearms was carried out, some 90 038 firearms were licensed by the Police and 86 571 of them were for private owners,” Tsheehama said.”During 2003 to 2006, some 27 166 arms were licensed.We have a society that is arming itself more than the Police force, which is expected to police them,” he added.”In view of the ease with which firearms are acquired, our society is more exposed to the perils of violent crimes.”According to the Minister, most of the firearms in the country are used to commit serious crimes, thus amendments to the existing Act are urgently needed.He did not say where he got this statistic from.He said a shortcoming in the existing law was that no competency tests were performed at gun shops when people bought firearms.”No provision exists for the renewal of existing licences,” he added.Tsheehama did not reveal when he would table the amendments or when the moratorium would be put in place.He then quoted some statistics, such as 948 cases of attempted murder with firearms in 2006, compared to 956 cases in 2005.Murders with a firearm came to 332 cases in 2006, up from 309 the year before.Robberies with firearms decreased however, with 1 605 cases recorded last year against 1 797 in 2005.Firearm thefts amounted to 681 last year and 668 in 2005.