Reducing homicide through policy interventions: The case of gun control

Abstract

Injuries impose a fourth major disease burden on the South African population, which is driven in particular by the high incidence of interpersonal violence. There was a significant decline in mortality from interpersonal violence between 1997 and 2012, and research conducted by South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) researchers has ascribed much of this decline to a decrease in firearm homicide. In the present brief review, we summarise South African research on fatal and non-fatal firearm injuries, with a particular focus on research conducted by SAMRC intra- and extramural units between 1969 and 2019. More recent data suggest a lapse in firearm control that has led to an increase in homicide and that the fluctuating homicide rate is being influenced by adherence to firearm control policies.