Gun deaths spike to 33 daily

Remove firearms’, with stats showing more victims shot than die in car crash.

- Masoka Dube

Every day, 33 people die because of guns, with Gun Free South Africa (GFSA) calling for stronger laws and strategies to control firearms ownership.

"More people are shot and killed than die in road traffic accidents, the latest national mortality surveillance study shows," said Clair Taylor, a researcher for GFSA.

The lobby group, fighting against gun violence, said statistics showed that since 2016, the killing of people using guns was continuing unabated.

"The most recent annual crime statistics show violent crime has risen significantly in the past 10 years, with a 62% increase in murder - from 17 023 murders in 2013-14 to 27 494 in 2022-23. There is an almost 50% increase in attempted murder, from 16 989 to 25 131," Taylor said.

"In most of the incidents guns were used, that is why we will continue to push government to implement proper strategies and laws that will help to get rid of guns in our communities."

Taylor said the group was concerned about the ongoing gang violence in the Western Cape, as well as the recent mass killings in Eastern Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.