NCJ Number
144217
Date Published
1990
Length
152 pages
Annotation
An archival analysis of official mortuary and court records of 303 fatal shootings in the Greater Cape Town, South Africa, metropolitan area between 1984 and 1986 was conducted to assess the extent to which internationally accepted restraints on the use of firearms were employed by a sample of civilian and security force shooters.
Abstract
The study aim was to trace each fatal shooting to culmination, either in the form of an inquest or a criminal trial. Each fatal shooting was classified according to whether the shooter had a legallly justified reason for killing. The most striking result of the study was that shooters, whether civilians or security force personnel, used firearms with a marked lack of restraint. Irrespective of their purpose or situation, the sample of shooters employed few internationally accepted restraints before resorting to deadly force. It was determined that the greatest impediment to the prevention of firearm abuse in South Africa is that people use guns with little restraint and do not face certain or serious legal sanctions for doing so. Since existing gun controls are not working effectively, various strategies are suggested to reduce death and injury resulting from the use of firearms. Proposed strategies include eradicating structural inequality in South African society, education, changes in the media presentation of violence in general and firearm use in particular, and legislative and procedural changes. An appendix provides additional information on the deadly use of firearms. References and figures