Impact of Guns on Families Prof Sebastian van As 16 August 2006

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Impact of Guns on FamiliesProf Sebastian van As
16 August 2006

• Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Southern
  Africa
• Red Cross Childrens Hospital
• UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN
• Crime, Violence and Injury Lead Programme
• UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA
• Gender and Health Research Unit
• MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL

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Effects of guns on society

• Men
• Women
• Children

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• Women

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National femicide study (1999)

• 1147 (1 of every 3 killed) women were shot by
  firearms
• Nearly half were killed by intimate partners -
  405 women

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Legal firearms and women killed

• Ownership of legal firearms was strongly
  associated with women killed
• There was a 7 times greater risk of being
  murdered by an intimate partner if he owned a
  legal gun

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Suicides with legal guns

• 1 in 5 of the perpetrators committed suicide
  after killing a partner, most of them had a legal
  gun
• 80 of these double murders could have been
  prevented

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Security workers and legal guns

• 10 of the men who killed their partners were
  employed as security workers
• 89 of these security workers used legal guns

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• Children

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Age categories
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Place of occurrence

• Informal settlements/townships
• In and around own home 50
• Road/ pavement 40

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Causes of non-natural deathNIMMS 2003
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Circumstances of children being shot

• caught in crossfire
• Measurement of shots fired in the community
• shot deliberately by an adult
• playing with a gun
• shot during a taxi war
• shot by gangsters
• shot by another child/friend

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Murders in South Africa
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Gunshot Statistics

• More than 1475 children killed with firearms
  (2000)
• Total homicides 25.000 per year
• Over 50 due to gunshots
• Attempted murder with firearms 22.000 /year

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Legal guns become illegal! (Stolen and lost
firearms)
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Does the possession of a firearm make you safe?

• Studies in the USA1
• From all shots fired in the home or yard
• only 3 in self defence
• of which half in self defence against family
  member
• ONLY 1.5 IN SELF DEFENCE AGAINST STRANGER
• 1Injuries and deaths due to fire arms in the
  home. AL Kellerman, G Somes et al. Journal of
  Trauma 199845263-267

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Does owning a gun make you safe?

• Studies in RSA1
• 84 of violent crimes involve firearm
• Of people in possession of firearm for self
  defence purpose, only 8 wore it at the time of
  the attack
• Possessors of firearms for self defence are 4
  times more likely to have it stolen than used
• 1 A Altbeker. Guns and public safety Gun crime
  and self defence in Alexandra and Bramley
  Graduate School of Public and Development
  Management at the University of Witswatersrand

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Psychological effects

• Many children develop severe anxiety disorders
  after experiencing a gunshot within their
  neighborhood
• Children who grow up with guns might easily be
  tempted to use them later

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Summary

• Firearms are dangerous and
• cause death and destruction
• Firearms threaten the right to live
• The use of firearms should be strongly
  discouraged!

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We can make a difference!
Anti Gun Campaign Red Cross
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City Mortality

• In Cape Town, Tshwane, Durban Johannesburg
• In 2001 315 children murdered by guns (56 of
  all murders)
• In 2004 209 children murdered by guns (43 of
  all murders)

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Firearm violence 2001-2004
Source National Injury Mortality Surveillance
System
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Non-firearm violence 2001-2004
Source National Injury Mortality Surveillance
System
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Firearm violence 2001-2004
Source National Injury Mortality Surveillance
System
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New Firearm Bill

• Excellent Bill, which we strongly support
• Will make South Africa safer
• Will make children safer

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Amendments to New Firearm Bill by the Pro-Gun
lobby

• 1) Existing gun owners would be allowed to keep
  their excess guns
• 2) Renewal of competency certificates without
  proper background check
• 3) Discretion about the period of unfitness
• will weaken the value of this Bill
  substantially!

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Our Amendments to make South Africa safer

• 1) Lift minimal age limit to 25 years
• (most violent crimes committed by youngsters
  mean age 20 years)
• 2) All persons who are the subject of a temporary
  or permanent protection order should have their
  gun licence suspended with immediate effect
• 3) Gun dealers should undergo the same process as
  owners of liquor outlets

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Nelson Mandela

• A better society should be measured by the
  happiness and welfare of the children
• The New Firearm Bill is helping us towards that
• we should not weaken it, but make it stronger!