The nation of South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world. The dangerous streets of the country left an increasing number of its citizens wanting to arm themselves.
They go through the strict rules to try to have a right to self-defense, but that right is now under threat.
On one side, you have the leftist government trying to bar gun ownership. Then, you have South African citizens on the other side arming themselves to the teeth, amid the increasing crime and political chaos.
The Problem is Very Real
An example of this comes from Dave Afonso, a South African citizen residing in Johannesburg.
Shortly after buying a 9mm pistol, Afonso said the situation is out of control and the government should be supporting the right of people to protect themselves.
Afonso added his country has one of the worst police in the world. South Africa is currently considered one of the most dangerous countries on Earth. This is factually correct.
South Africa is right up there with Iraq, Mexico, Syria, and other global hotspots where you have a good chance of never coming home again if you visit without a proper exit plan and knowledge of the dangerous areas.
Afonso disagrees with the government’s plan to ban the sale of weapons for self-defense. In fact, data shows the number of firearm licenses is growing in South Africa over the worry the government will soon fully blockade guns for self-defense.
https://twitter.com/BurnellBarthol1/status/1537363186453979136?s=20&t=PCSOMZ5LDaIh2T3HdSLkXQ
A Surging Demand
The increase in gun purchases has been on the rise since July last year when the country was overrun by rioting crowds. At the time, many houses and shops were burned. In addition to the destruction of property, there was also the loss of hundreds of lives.
The citizens were outraged by the inefficiency of the police in controlling the situation. They decided on their own to unite and defend their property and loved ones.
Merchant Nick Yale, who has owned a gun store for nearly 40 years in Johannesburg, said this situation caused society to stay alert and see the importance of having a gun as defense.
Yale recalled he only saw this high demand for guns from the early 1990s until 1994. This was a turbulent and extremely violent period in which South Africa found itself at the end of Apartheid and the beginning of democracy.
South Africa never lost its position as one of the most dangerous countries in the world. Currently, according to the World Atlas, it ranks 9th with one of the largest murder records in the world.
For every 100,000 people, 36 are murdered. South African cities also top the list of the world’s most dangerous cities.
Based on police statistics for 2021, the homicide rate in the city of Cape Verde shows for every 100,000 inhabitants, 62.22 are murdered. This made Cape Verde top the list as the city with the highest number of murders in the world.
As For Other Crimes?
To give you an idea of the scale of the problem in the country, around 11,000 rapes and 14,000 attempted murders were recorded only in the period from January to March this year.
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According to GOZA (Gun Owners of South Africa), the largest firearms rights group in South Africa, requests for sales and licenses of firearms increased after the police criminal report with alarming data on the rise in violent crimes.
Gun rights are human rights.
