Short description
After successfully negotiating the political transition in South Africa, one of the challenges facing the new democracy was the proliferation of firearms and the high levels of violent crime associated with this. This work tells the story of how Gun Free South Africa, a NGO with few resources, mobilised to reduce the number of guns in circulation.
Long description
After successfully negotiating the political transition in South Africa, one of the greatest challenges facing the new democracy was the proliferation of firearms and the high levels of violent crime associated with this. Gun deaths and injuries rocketed out of control.Adele Kirsten tells the remarkable story of how Gun Free South Africa, a small NGO with few resources, mobilised to reduce the number of guns in circulation. Through innovative campaigning and media strategies it quickly became a household name, and the scourge of the pro-gun lobby. But the book tells us more than this. It highlights the value of involving ordinary people in a process that resulted, not only in a new law, but deeply influenced the thinking of many democrats in search of genuine solutions to a post-conflict society. This book will appeal to activists, democrats, and all those involved in policy making and social change, as well as scholars of these processes.