Deputy Chairperson and hon members, last night one interviewee on the fourth television channel, that is e.tv news, stated that owning a firearm does not necessarily translate into having security.
In support of this critical Bill at this stage of the development of our country, it is appropriate to borrow from the words of someone who once said that courage is doing what you are scared to do. And one African- American, the well-known Bill Cosby, confessed that he did not know the key to success, but that the key to failure was to try to please everyone. These were indeed encouraging statements.
On the other hand, one imperialist, Lord Randolph Churchill, Sir Winston Churchill's father, once declared unashamedly that the duty of an opposition is to oppose and nothing else but to oppose. This, in our case, presupposes that the opposition should adopt a policy that says, "Forward never, backwards ever."
The introduction and adoption of the Firearms Control Amendment Bill will demonstrate that we are committed to achieving the demands of our people in Kliptown, when they cried out in 1955 for a South Africa that would be at peace with itself and contribute to a peaceful world order.
Today we are not only complying with what is required of us in section 12(1) of the Bill of Rights enshrined in our Constitution, which talks of the "freedom and security of the person", but we are also demonstrating, in practical terms, our commitment to the international peace agreements and protocols we have signed as a country in relation to international efforts so as to rid the world of violence.
The timing has never been as appropriate as it is today, where again in practical terms we set in motion actions to respond to the campaign for activism against women and child abuse - precisely because most of the incidents of abuse involve the use of firearms and include homicides where families are maimed at times by their own fathers or mothers owning licensed firearms.
But, it is equally our duty and responsibility to seek to allay the fears of those doubting Thomases who have consciously or unconsciously formed an opinion that the Bill will rather disadvantage than benefit the society, without losing sight of the principle that the interests of the majority of society override those of the minority.
Together with those who have concerns about the Bill, we share an abhorrence of the violent past experience of gruesome murders and armed robberies where uncontrolled and lethal firearms were used. Together we are definitely committed to achieving peace and eliminating the fear and insecurity engendered by the proliferation of unlicensed firearms and therefore eliminating the need for unwarranted ownership of firearms in our country.
What is of interest and importance in the Bill is that, inter alia, it does not bar citizens from owning firearms for useful purposes. All amendments are well thought through and any logistical hiccups that are experienced by applicants for firearms licences today are far outweighed by the substantial benefits that come with the Bill. One can mention but a few in this regard, namely: firstly, the burden that has been borne by prosecution with regard to the issuing of admission of guilt fines in respect of minor offences that had a bearing on the licensed firearm owner's fitness to possess a firearm - that is in the current Act.
Secondly, the Bill proposes that where such an admission of guilt fine has been issued and paid, a disqualification does not automatically follow without due administrative procedure to the effect that the owner of the firearm is deemed to be unfit to possess a licence for a firearm. Therefore, there will be no wholesale disarming of people willy-nilly.
Thirdly, the Bill also proposes, to the relief of gun sports persons, to remove the restriction on the number of shots that the semi-automatic shotgun may fire in succession in respect of dedicated gun sports persons.
The period provided for this transitional process recognises the need to allow everybody concerned to be on board and gives time for the department to fasten its screws in terms of an effective and efficient delivery of services regarding the applications and the auditing of firearms.
The Bill is a framework to further reinforce, as hon Worth has said, the firearms amnesty strategy of the hon Minister that sought to induce those who would be willing to surrender their unlicensed firearms and those who aligned themselves with the notion, very much cherished by the ANC, of a gun-free South Africa.
In terms of section 12(2), the court has the discretion to declare any person who has been convicted of an offence contained in schedule 2 of the Arms and Ammunition Act, Act 75 of 1969. Under the schedule, there are contained offences for which convicted persons should be declared automatically unfit to own firearms. These include the following: terrorism, murder, rape, robbery, kidnapping and child stealing.
In conclusion, for the reasons above, we are all aware that, globally, South Africa is recognised as having an extraordinary level of gun violence. Police statistics tell us that between 1994 and 2003 we saw over 104 000 gun-related homicides and incidents where families have been maimed by husbands at their own homes with firearms that were licensed, and almost one million aggravated robberies reported to the police have been reflected in our statistics.
It is therefore incumbent upon all of us to go to the ends of the earth to ensure that we bring about an end to gun-related crime in South Africa. This can never be pursued and achieved by an increase in firearms in the possession of our citizens, but through fighting for peace and stability where there will be no need to own a firearm. This is the route that the majority of our people want us to take. The ANC supports the Bill. I thank you.