the portion of murders committed with firearms has consistently been more than 40% of the total number of murders for the last five years 1994 to 1998.

Types Of Firearms Used In Murders

The handgun³ is the most common type of firearm used in murder in South Africa. Of the murders that were perpetrated with firearms in South Africa during 1998, 57.4% were committed with handguns. In South Africa, the most commonly licenced handgun is the 9mm pistol.

The pie chart below gives the proportional breakdown of murders with firearms by type of firearm used, for 1998:

The actual numbers of firearms as well as the proportions of the total (as a percentage) of each firearm type used in murder in 1998 are provided in the table below:

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³The SAPS crime Information Analysis centre uses the category "Small Arms" to refer to pistols and revolvers. In this publication the term "Handguns" has been used.

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