Chapter 21

POSSESSION OR USE OF FIREARM UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL OR ANY SUBSTANCE WITH A NARCOTIC EFFECT

The possession or use of a firearm while under the influence of alcohol or any substance with a narcotic effect is a criminal offence in South Africa.



Police data on the extent of the possession or use of a firearm while under the influence of alcohol is usually listed as other transgressions of the Arms and Ammunition Act. However, it is probable that many of the other firearm-related crimes are also alcohol-related. In the docket survey, it was found that, of the 787 police dockets, 35 incidents were alcohol-related.



In this research, conclusions are drawn from seven incidents analysed, which comprised 0.9% of the docket sample. Due to the fact that so few police dockets were analysed, there is very little weight attached to the data presented on this crime type. The information provided should be used for its illustrative value.



In the seven cases of the possession or use of a firearm while under the influence of alcohol, there was a range of outcomes.



It was found that all offenders were male. There was insufficient information to provide a valid profile of the race, age, vocation or employment status of offenders.