The controversial Firearms Control Amendment Bill is back, quietly resurfacing at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) and sparking immediate outcry from concerned parties.

The Bill, which ignited widespread public outrage in 2021, has returned with its most troubling provisions largely unchanged – including the removal of self-defence as a legitimate reason for firearm ownership.

“One of the most dangerous assaults yet”

DA deputy spokesperson on police Ian Cameron has branded the latest version “one of the most dangerous assaults yet on South Africans’ right to safety and self-defence.”

Speaking on Wednesday, Cameron warned that the Bill “hands the Minister of Police the power to decide arbitrarily who may live safely and who may not, by controlling who may be lawfully armed.”

“That is unconstitutional, reckless, and incompatible with any democratic system that respects the rule of law,” he said.

Stripping away self-defence rights

At the heart of the controversy lies the Bill’s attempt to remove self-defence as a legitimate reason for firearm ownership. In a country where violent crime has reached catastrophic levels, critics argue this proposal is both irrational and immoral.

The legislation also seeks to restrict ammunition to 100 rounds per firearm, limit magazine capacity, and impose heavy administrative burdens on law-abiding gun owners.

“The idea that ordinary South Africans should be disarmed while criminals operate with near impunity betrays a complete detachment from reality,” said firearms rights advocates.

Government’s own research warns against the Bill

Cameron highlighted that the government’s own 2015 research warned against every core provision of the Bill. The Civilian Secretariat for Police Service and Wits School of Governance Firearms Review found that the problem lies not with law-abiding citizens, but with the South African Police Service itself.

The report described the Central Firearms Register as “technically collapsed, institutionally incoherent, and incapable of maintaining accurate records.”

Police gun scandal exposes real problem

Recent revelations about the Prinsloo gun scandal have reinforced these concerns. Former SAPS Colonel Christiaan Prinsloo stole and sold over 2,000 state-issued firearms to gangsters. These police weapons were linked to over 1,000 murders and 1,400 attempted murders in the Western Cape between 2010 and 2016.

“This is not a gun control problem – it is a government control problem,” Cameron said. “Instead of fixing the broken systems that allow police guns to flood gang markets, the ANC wants to disarm the very citizens who obey the law and need protection the most.”

Successful 2021 opposition provides blueprint

South Africans successfully fought this battle before. In 2021, an unprecedented wave of public mobilisation forced the withdrawal of the original amendment proposal. Over 100,000 submissions were made in opposition, reflecting unified public resistance to being disarmed by a failing system.

Firearms rights groups say that same unity will be needed again if the Bill advances through the policy pipeline.

The DA has vowed not only to oppose the Bill in Parliament but also to lead a nationwide campaign of public mobilisation to stop it.

“If necessary, we will challenge it in court,” Cameron promised. “We will defend every responsible citizen’s right to lawful protection.”

“The government’s own research and the blood-stained evidence of its failures prove one truth: South Africa does not need fewer licensed firearms; it needs fewer corrupt officials and better policing.”

The Bill is currently being reviewed at NEDLAC before potentially moving to Parliament. Rights groups are urging firearm owners and civil-rights advocates to stay informed, organised, and vocal.

As one firearms advocate put it: “South Africa cannot afford another round of misguided legislation that punishes the responsible while empowering the lawless. The message remains unchanged: Disarm criminals, not law-abiding citizens.”