Guns have shaped SA’s history, from colonial subjugation to local wars and the near-annihilation of its wildlife. Guns remain contentious, with the latest attempts to curb their proliferation running into a figurative hail of fire.

The Civilian Secretariat for Police Service published the draft Firearms Control Amendment Bill in May 2021. This is the second attempt to amend the law, the first being in 2015 when the authorities issued a draft bill for comment, but that bill was never passed...