Guns and gun control in South Africa : a case study of fatal gun use in metropolitan Cape Town, 1984-1991, with a critical examination of broader issues

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dc.contributor.advisorFoster, Donen_ZA
dc.contributor.advisorVan Zyl Smit, Dirken_ZA
dc.contributor.authorHansson, Desiréeen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2014-11-11T20:16:14Z
dc.date.available2014-11-11T20:16:14Z
dc.date.issued1998en_ZA
dc.descriptionBibliography: p. 369-419.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractSince the election of the new government in South Africa in 1994, a process of reconstructing and prioritising social problems has been underway in which firearms have been afforded prominence. A 'gun problem' has been constructed based on the traditional premise that illegal private possession is the issue and most interventions have targeted the reduction of unlicensed guns. However, despite more than 35 years of research worldwide, this foundational premise lacks empirical support. Moreover relevant work on South Africa has been scarce. Utilising this as the basic assumption of a contemporary conception of the 'gun problem' would thus seem unwise. Hence an alternate approach was adopted, starting with the question of whether guns were actually problematic in this context. A case study was conducted using a complete sample (1555) of fatal shootings in metropolitan Cape Town from 1984 to 1991. The overall aim was to paint a comprehensive picture of lethal gun use that would enable the identification and prioritising of problems, and the shaping of interventions. A pencil-and-paper device was constructed to extract information from mortuary registers, inquest and criminal court records. Variables included characteristics of victims, shooters, circumstances, weapons, injuries, and the legal process. Specific attention was paid to restraint in homicides; various indicators were used to •measure levels of minimum force and proportionality. The data were transferred into a customised computer database for analysis. Statistical significance was assessed using chi-square tests and the analysis of standardised residuals for selected single and cross-tabulated variables.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationHansson, D. (1998). <i>Guns and gun control in South Africa : a case study of fatal gun use in metropolitan Cape Town, 1984-1991, with a critical examination of broader issues</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Psychology. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9578en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationHansson, Desirée. <i>"Guns and gun control in South Africa : a case study of fatal gun use in metropolitan Cape Town, 1984-1991, with a critical examination of broader issues."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Psychology, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9578en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationHansson, D. 1998. Guns and gun control in South Africa : a case study of fatal gun use in metropolitan Cape Town, 1984-1991, with a critical examination of broader issues. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Hansson, Desirée AB - Since the election of the new government in South Africa in 1994, a process of reconstructing and prioritising social problems has been underway in which firearms have been afforded prominence. A 'gun problem' has been constructed based on the traditional premise that illegal private possession is the issue and most interventions have targeted the reduction of unlicensed guns. However, despite more than 35 years of research worldwide, this foundational premise lacks empirical support. Moreover relevant work on South Africa has been scarce. Utilising this as the basic assumption of a contemporary conception of the 'gun problem' would thus seem unwise. Hence an alternate approach was adopted, starting with the question of whether guns were actually problematic in this context. A case study was conducted using a complete sample (1555) of fatal shootings in metropolitan Cape Town from 1984 to 1991. The overall aim was to paint a comprehensive picture of lethal gun use that would enable the identification and prioritising of problems, and the shaping of interventions. A pencil-and-paper device was constructed to extract information from mortuary registers, inquest and criminal court records. Variables included characteristics of victims, shooters, circumstances, weapons, injuries, and the legal process. Specific attention was paid to restraint in homicides; various indicators were used to •measure levels of minimum force and proportionality. The data were transferred into a customised computer database for analysis. Statistical significance was assessed using chi-square tests and the analysis of standardised residuals for selected single and cross-tabulated variables. DA - 1998 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 1998 T1 - Guns and gun control in South Africa : a case study of fatal gun use in metropolitan Cape Town, 1984-1991, with a critical examination of broader issues TI - Guns and gun control in South Africa : a case study of fatal gun use in metropolitan Cape Town, 1984-1991, with a critical examination of broader issues UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9578 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/9578
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationHansson D. Guns and gun control in South Africa : a case study of fatal gun use in metropolitan Cape Town, 1984-1991, with a critical examination of broader issues. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Psychology, 1998 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9578en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Psychologyen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanitiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherPsychologyen_ZA
dc.titleGuns and gun control in South Africa : a case study of fatal gun use in metropolitan Cape Town, 1984-1991, with a critical examination of broader issuesen_ZA
dc.typeDoctoral Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoral
dc.type.qualificationnamePhDen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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