Gun Free SA concerned by latest WC illegal firearms and ammunition stats

Gun Free South Africa said the latest crime statistics related to illegal firearms and ammunition are concerning.

Statistics for the third quarter of the financial year show 57% of the murders in the Western Cape were committed using firearms.

Provincial police reported 926 cases of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, up from 758 for the same period in the previous year.

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Gun Free South Africa director Stanley Maphosa said that the statistics are increasingly concerning.

Maphosa called for stronger gun control and accountability and management of police armouries, as well as strict oversight on legal gun ownership.

"Possession of illegal firearms is often the early warning sign of future violence. Most illegal firearms were once legal firearms - they are stolen, they are lost, they are trafficked or diverted from legal owners."