Original articles
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.
Authors' affiliations
R Matzopoulos, Burden of Disease Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa; School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, South Africa
M Prinsloo, Burden of Disease Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa
D Bradshaw, Burden of Disease Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa; School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, South Africa
N Abrahams, Gender and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa
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Date published: 2019-12-05
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