JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Tighter gun ownership laws are pushing South Africans to buy crossbows, spears, swords, knives and pepper sprays to protect themselves from violent crime.
"We've had to build an entirely new shop because the demand from people is so great," Justin Willmers, owner of Durban Guns and Ammo, told Reuters. "It can be anything from a Zulu fighting spear, battle axes, swords, crossbows."
New gun controls came into force last year under South Africa's Firearms Control Act, but some weapons shop owners say high crime rates are pushing law abiding citizens to look for alternative means of defending themselves.
Despite official figures showing the murder rate falling 10 percent in the year to March 2004, South Africa's Arms and Ammunition Dealers Association says individuals face a one in 60 chance of being the victim of a violent crime in any given year.
Many houses are surrounded by razor wire and electric fences, but with police turning down 80 percent of firearms license requests after an 18-month application process, Association spokesman Alex Holmes said people were forced to look at other options.
"It's not really a matter of choice," Holmes said. "Licensed firearms are not used in crime at any great rate."
Estimates of the number of illegal firearms in South Africa vary between 1 and 4 million, he said, but the real problem is from some 30-40,000 hardcore criminals using a small number of illegal guns.
SILENT CROSSBOW
South Africa began a firearms amnesty on Jan. 1 that to date has netted some 13,000 weapons, officials told Reuters, but critics say most of the weapons handed in are old and would never have been used for crime.
"It's mostly been grannies and grandpas that are handing in weapons that are probably unusable anyhow," Willmers said. In the meantime, people from all walks of life are acquiring weapons not restricted by law.
"The guys have just had enough," Willmers said.
Men are buying machetes to fight off hijackers or crossbows to shoot people breaking into their property, while women are more likely to buy a pepper spray, he said.
One customer successfully fought off three hijackers with a machete, slashing one, he said. A beggar had bought a pepper spray so he could fight off those who tried to steal his shoes as he slept on the street.
With some homeowners worried about prosecution if they kill intruders, the crossbow is particularly popular because of its silence and the difficulty of tracing the firer from forensic evidence, he said.
With no legal restrictions on sales, weapons shop staff had to exercise judgment in who they sold to, Willmers said.
Thats right. 6 months ago that was my home. To the "leaders" of the country a complete firearm ban seems to be the solution to violent crime. They do not seem to realize that the law-breaker couldn't give a flying 9mm projectile about the law. All the statistics on crime given by the government there are at least 20% lower than those done by independent studies. As a matter of fact, the only ones who claim that crime is decreasing are employed by the gov.
I left 2 Lee Enfields there, and I miss them, but some moron has probably destroyed them by now.
This is what happens when a tribal mentality is allowed to govern a country.
__________________ Chuck Norris -Now try to beat that signature!
Location: Occupied Territories of New York (Buffalo)
Posts: 2,898
Quote:
Originally Posted by hounddawg
Thats right. 6 months ago that was my home. To the "leaders" of the country a complete firearm ban seems to be the solution to violent crime. They do not seem to realize that the law-breaker couldn't give a flying 9mm projectile about the law. All the statistics on crime given by the government there are at least 20% lower than those done by independent studies. As a matter of fact, the only ones who claim that crime is decreasing are employed by the gov.
I left 2 Lee Enfields there, and I miss them, but some moron has probably destroyed them by now.
This is what happens when a tribal mentality is allowed to govern a country.
doesn't have to be tribal the liberals are trying to do the same thing here.
__________________
"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity"
-Sigmund Freud, General Introduction to Psychoanalysis
"If guns cause crime, all of mine are defective."
- Ted Nugent
"Self-defense is Nature's eldest law."
-John Dryden
Location: West, Central Florida, Third World America
Posts: 6,342
You completly miss the point of "Gun control".
Quote:
Originally Posted by hounddawg
Thats right. 6 months ago that was my home. To the "leaders" of the country a complete firearm ban seems to be the solution to violent crime. They do not seem to realize that the law-breaker couldn't give a flying 9mm projectile about the law. All the statistics on crime given by the government there are at least 20% lower than those done by independent studies. As a matter of fact, the only ones who claim that crime is decreasing are employed by the gov.
I left 2 Lee Enfields there, and I miss them, but some moron has probably destroyed them by now.
This is what happens when a tribal mentality is allowed to govern a country.
The evil ones say thier goal is to protect us from crime. With so many glaring examples that gun control/banning guns does not work, do you honestly believe they don't see the same thing you see? Of course, they do! Crime prevcention was never thier goal. to disarm the people was, and is, the reason for all gun control. The sooner we accept this universal truth, the better. We are the "little people", as Jane Fonda puts it. We are not the elite. As such we need to be controled, pay our taxes and shut up! :nod:
__________________
"They cannot be trusted.....The Romulans (our politicos) are without honor." Worf
One must realize that the single be-all, end-all reason for the existence of political "law-makers" is to make new laws - they have no other purpose in life. A good peaceful free society makes the need for more laws unnecessary. They need MORE crime, not less - in this way, they make new laws to show they are "doing something" to "fight crime". Taking away our ability to truly fight the criminals is an important aspect of their agenda. More victims is good for them. We know the truth, so do they. Sadly, the Sheeple are generally fooled and go along with this BS.
Location: West, Central Florida, Third World America
Posts: 6,342
to justify thier existance is a good point. However, i doubt if our safety or anything to do with us, has any bearing on the formation of these laws. I still believe it is the unspoken truth of all elected folks. They are here at the pleasure of the secret gov. and, thier one, and only purpose is to slowly remove any hope, method or idea that we are a free people. But, rather to slowly replace that silly idea with a new thought. one that instills fear of our gov. and, one that rewards for spying on our friends. One that teaches us to serve the beast without question for this is what we are meant to do. it's what's best for us.
"You mind is totaly controled,
it has been stuffed into my mold,
and you will do as you are told,
until the rights to you are sold" FZ
__________________
"They cannot be trusted.....The Romulans (our politicos) are without honor." Worf
Thats right. 6 months ago that was my home. To the "leaders" of the country a complete firearm ban seems to be the solution to violent crime. They do not seem to realize that the law-breaker couldn't give a flying 9mm projectile about the law. All the statistics on crime given by the government there are at least 20% lower than those done by independent studies. As a matter of fact, the only ones who claim that crime is decreasing are employed by the gov.
I left 2 Lee Enfields there, and I miss them, but some moron has probably destroyed them by now.
This is what happens when a tribal mentality is allowed to govern a country.
with all the crap in South Africa, you saw the light and got out; Bravo to you sir. but what gets me is why do so many stay??? the minorities are not welcomed anymore, the gummint does all the can to make life H*ll for them. so why stay in a country that is no longer yours??? i don't get it.
__________________
MOE! LARRY! THE CHEESE!
Life Member the Elmer Fudd Hunt Club
Please correct me if I am wrong, but if you look closely at the new South African government, isn't it the best example of a new Marxist style Communist state that is lauded by every nation formerly in NATO? The Old South African government was a racist, descriminative, murderous system... and is gladly gone. I just don't see how replacing it with a Communist system is a step in the right direction.
yup - somehow it appears throughout history there whenever there is a regime chance, law makers are anxious to replace what was there with the other extreme.
yup - somehow it appears throughout history there whenever there is a regime chance, law makers are anxious to replace what was there with the other extreme.
more like they replace it with whatever those who fought'n'won support,
which is usually some ofshoot of what their weapons supplier supported
Location: West, Central Florida, Third World America
Posts: 6,342
The only good thing I can think of that was inspired by anything or anyone from africa, north, south or in the middle was winny mandola's gasoline soaked and burning tires. The only reason I liked that was because, after viewing the TV pics of some unfortunite folks who were wareing them, it seemed to be the cruelist thing I could imagine and it seemed so typical, the cruelness, i mean, of folks who murder each other with machetes because they are not of the same tribe!
__________________
"They cannot be trusted.....The Romulans (our politicos) are without honor." Worf
Please correct me if I am wrong, but if you look closely at the new South African government, isn't it the best example of a new Marxist style Communist state that is lauded by every nation formerly in NATO? The Old South African government was a racist, descriminative, murderous system... and is gladly gone. I just don't see how replacing it with a Communist system is a step in the right direction.
Not quite, Jesse. It is one of these so-called Democracies. South Africa has the most advanced constitution in the world. So advanced is it, in fact that civilised countries like Sweden needs another 500 years worth of civilisation to be on par. What this means is that you are expecting cave-men to eat with silverware and drink from cut crystal. Imagine being told by a cop that you are not allowed to shoot a person who is busy raping your wife because he is not endangering your life?
The purpose of the Firearm Control Act is to eliminate the means to resist. One of South Africa's Supreme Court Justices (Arthur Chaskalson)was quoted: "The first inroads on our civil liberties are the most serious, for they open the way to more opressive infringements."
To support gun-control the Gov. quotes the amount of firearms lost/stolen. They neglect to mention that over 80% of these weapons were lost by/stolen from the police and military!
Be careful! When gun-control comes into force in the US, the next thing will be the decent into lawlessness and anarchy. This is what your driveway is liable to look like...
__________________ Chuck Norris -Now try to beat that signature!
Location: West, Central Florida, Third World America
Posts: 6,342
I'm thinking I do not understand....
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rave
"Man's inhumanity......"
:jaw: From some of the films I saw of these animals, they were not man nor were they human. My gut response was to blast them as they came into view. But, it was TV.... :lucky: :lucky: :lucky: :lucky:
__________________
"They cannot be trusted.....The Romulans (our politicos) are without honor." Worf
You completly miss the point of "Gun control". 
The evil ones say thier goal is to protect us from crime. With so many glaring examples that gun control/banning guns does not work, do you honestly believe they don't see the same thing you see? Of course, they do! Crime prevcention was never thier goal. to disarm the people was, and is, the reason for all gun control. The sooner we accept this universal truth, the better. We are the "little people", as Jane Fonda puts it. We are not the elite. As such we need to be controled, pay our taxes and shut up! :nod:
