FAKE GUNS FACE BAN

SKELMS have forced the government to consider banning the importing of “non-lethal” guns and introducing a permit system to reduce their availability.

The SA Police Service (SAPS) has asked the International Trade Administration Commission of SA (ITAC), an entity of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, to immediately impose controls on the firearms designed to fire blanks or non-lethal rounds.

In South Africa, blank guns were originally intended for legitimate uses such as training by the SAPS and the SA National Defence Force (SANDF), signalling in sports events, and as props in the film industry.

However, they are increasingly being used skelms to rob and intimidate mense.

ITAC stated: “In particular, there has been a reported increase in the usage of imitation guns and blank guns in the commission of crime in the Western Cape.”

According to ITAC’s notice issued this week, there may be several reasons for the use of blank guns in criminal activities, including realistic appearance as they closely resemble real firearms, which makes them effective tools for intimidation during crimes such as robberies or hijackings.

Additionally, it is easy to acquire blank guns because they are more accessible than traditional firearms and can potentially be illegally modified to fire live ammunition, turning them into actual lethal weapons.

Concerns have also been raised that policing blank guns is made difficult by the fact that they are not currently fully regulated in terms of the Firearms Control Act (FCA).

The SAPS recognises the danger that blank guns pose to public safety and has taken steps to regulate them more strictly.