Defend the Right to Self-Defence
CSSA and the Firearms Control Action Body are taking the Firearms Control Amendment Bill to court. This is not a petition. This is a legal action.
Register Your SupportThe Problem
The Firearms Control Amendment Bill strips South Africans of the practical means to defend themselves. Self-defence has been a recognised right under South African common law for centuries. This Bill does not just regulate firearms. It removes your ability to exercise a constitutional right.
The Constitutional Stakes
Section 11 of the Constitution guarantees the right to life. Section 12 guarantees the right to freedom and security of the person — including freedom from violence from public or private sources. These are not abstract principles. They mean you have the right to stay alive and the right to protect yourself. The FCAB makes both rights meaningless for anyone who cannot afford private armed security.
Our Position
CSSA and the Firearms Control Action Body are preparing a constitutional court challenge. We will argue that the FCAB violates Section 11 and Section 12 of the Bill of Rights. Self-defence is not a privilege. It is a right. We intend to prove it in court.
What This Means
Self-defence is established common law in South Africa. Courts have upheld it for generations. The FCAB does not explicitly ban self-defence. It does something worse — it removes the practical means to exercise it. A right you cannot exercise is no right at all.
The Legal Principle
When the state fails to protect its citizens — and South Africa's crime statistics prove it fails daily — citizens must retain the means to protect themselves. Removing legal firearm ownership for self-defence while criminals remain armed with illegal weapons is not regulation. It is state-sponsored vulnerability.
Why This Campaign Is Different
Our other campaigns work through parliamentary submissions and citizen mandates. This one goes further. CSSA and the Firearms Control Action Body are building a constitutional court case. We are not asking Parliament to change its mind. We are asking the court to rule that Parliament cannot do this.
The Bottom Line
The government cannot simultaneously fail to protect you and remove your ability to protect yourself. That is not governance. That is abandonment. And it is unconstitutional.
Your support strengthens this case.
Register Your SupportFrequently Asked Questions
What is the Firearms Control Action Body?
Why do you need my registration?
Does registering cost anything?
When will the case go to court?
Register Your Support
This is not a petition. Your registration builds the public interest case for our constitutional court challenge. Every name demonstrates the breadth of South Africans whose rights are at stake.
Related News & Analysis
Updates and research related to this campaign.
Illicit firearms and state failure: How regulatory dysfunction fuels the illegal market
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Disarming South Africans by removing self-defence as a reason for firearm ownership: A rights crisis in the making
20 Mar 2026This article examines Section 11 and 12 of the Constitution coupled with a brief analysis of the common law principle of self-defence (private defence), we...
Three pressure points threatening lawful firearm ownership in South Africa, warns Civil Society South Africa
05 Mar 2026CSSA warns that legislative changes, administrative barriers and proposed firearm taxes could steadily reduce the number of law-abiding citizens able to defend themselves.
Understanding the Justice Pipeline: Where it breaks down and what needs fixing
04 Mar 2026The criminal justice process operates as a pipeline. A case enters at reporting and exits at conviction and sentencing. If any stage fails, the entire...
Policy commentary: The Marksman Arms judgment and the Central Firearms Registry
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What law-abiding really means in South African firearm law
14 Jan 2026When lawmakers speak about reducing firearm availability without distinguishing between legal and illegal possession, they collapse two fundamentally different categories into one. This has real...
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