Mkhwanazi was quizzed on plans to fight illegal firearms, which are rife in that province.
“We deal with criminals. The firearm issue is something the head office, from the ministry side, they are trying to assist us with — in reviewing the laws on the issuing of a firearm licences [and] the sale of firearms and ammunition to have better control of that,” he said.
It is estimated more than 2-million illegal guns are circulating in the country.
Mkhwanazi said criminals rob people who have legal firearms and disarm them. The robbers then become more armed — illegally — from firearms that were legal.
“They [illegal guns] come from the people who have them legally. The better control of those issued with guns is that you can’t have a firearm and someone comes and disarms you. You have a firearm for a purpose: you have to fight.
“If you fight and defend yourself, it helps us — because if you surrender that firearm you are arming these people to go kill someone else.”
On occasions Mkhwanazi has defended police killing criminals, saying officers will retaliate when criminals shoot at them.
He was speaking to journalists in the Durban CBD as he led an operation aimed at discovering illegal firearms, dealing with hijacked buildings and confronting illegal foreigners in the area.
TimesLIVE
LISTEN | You have to fight, KZN top cop Mkhwanazi tells gun owners
KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi says if you are issued with a gun licence, defend yourself — because if you surrender criminals will use your firearm illegally, possibly to kill someone else.
Listen to the KZN top cop:
Mkhwanazi was quizzed on plans to fight illegal firearms, which are rife in that province.
“We deal with criminals. The firearm issue is something the head office, from the ministry side, they are trying to assist us with — in reviewing the laws on the issuing of a firearm licences [and] the sale of firearms and ammunition to have better control of that,” he said.
It is estimated more than 2-million illegal guns are circulating in the country.
Mkhwanazi said criminals rob people who have legal firearms and disarm them. The robbers then become more armed — illegally — from firearms that were legal.
“They [illegal guns] come from the people who have them legally. The better control of those issued with guns is that you can’t have a firearm and someone comes and disarms you. You have a firearm for a purpose: you have to fight.
“If you fight and defend yourself, it helps us — because if you surrender that firearm you are arming these people to go kill someone else.”
On occasions Mkhwanazi has defended police killing criminals, saying officers will retaliate when criminals shoot at them.
He was speaking to journalists in the Durban CBD as he led an operation aimed at discovering illegal firearms, dealing with hijacked buildings and confronting illegal foreigners in the area.
TimesLIVE
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