The South African Police Service (SAPS) has destroyed a total of 7,708 firearms, including blank guns, airguns, and homemade firearms, as part of its continued efforts to remove illegal weapons from circulation.
According to officials, while these specific categories of weapons are generally perceived as less lethal than conventional firearms, they are frequently used in the commission of violent crimes and have proven to be deadly.
The destruction forms part of the SAPS’s broader strategy to reduce the number of illegal weapons in communities. The service has intensified its operations against the illegal firearm trade, reporting that on a weekly basis, it seizes no less than 100 illegal firearms.
These seizures are conducted through various crime-combating activities, including tracing operations and stop-and-searches. The SAPS maintains that removing these weapons is critical to lowering the country’s violent crime rates.
