You have a right to self-defence

Our view at Marksman’s Nest has always been that you have a right to self-defence. We strongly condemn violence and criminality. But we feel that prohibiting citizens from owning guns to defend their lives denies them a basic human right.

Look at the animal kingdom

Geoffrey Coetzee, Marksman’s Nest chief ranger, likened human self-defence to the animal kingdom. “Most animals have built-in self-defence systems. Snakes have venom, porcupines have quills, bulls and buck have horns and dogs have teeth. We can’t simply remove their self-defence systems thinking that it will make the animal kingdom safer. That would be absurd.”

Defensive uses exceed criminal uses

It’s a known statistic world-wide that knives kill more people than guns do. A 2013 review of the literature by the US National Research Council found that “almost all national survey estimates indicate that defensive gun uses by victims are at least as common as offensive uses by criminals. Estimates of annual uses range from about 500 000 to more than 3 million. And it’s a fact that firearms prevent countless violent crimes a year. In the US, this number stands at 800 000 to more than 2 million violent crimes per annum. Geoffrey continued, “The answer is crime control and not gun control. Because at the end of the day, firearms are the most practical and effective way for citizens to secure their lives, liberty and property. So yes indeed, 'You have a right to self-defence'”.