This issue was again brought to the fore when my daughter was held up at gunpoint by three black thugs last Friday in our driveway at midday. The reflexive response by the gun lobby to resolve this problem is to meet fire with fire. Is this really a viable option?

The maxim “People kill, guns don’t” was conceived by the NRA – National Rifle Association – in the USA to deflect criticism from the devastation wrought by the wanton and callous murder of innocent people in the USA.

This is a disingenuous argument. In the main, if the assailant was not in possession of a gun, a death would not have ensued. The proposed solution is to only allow gun licences to be issued to competent people. This response is trite at best. Competence does not solely imply technical competence in the use of the weapon but possibly more importantly, the mental state of the gun user.

Currently there are no fool proof tests to determine mental competence. Even if there were this is not a steady state aptitude. Moods are fickle and unpredictable. When one is under relentless pressure be it work or family, one is liable to react violently to a sudden provocation. If a gun were handy, it could be selected as the weapon of choice.

Whilst at High School – Alexander Road High School – I experienced such an overwhelming reaction. Michael Henderson, Michael Baker and I formed a clique, a threesome. Michael Henderson’s favourite trick was to throw a hunting knife at one’s feet as one walked around. In spite of numerous admonishments at his acceptable behaviour, Michael persisted with this dangerous habit while we constantly nagged him to desist from the behaviour.

Finally one day it happened. As I was running down a steep embankment at the edge of the fields, the knife hit my shoe and penetrated the leather. In my anger, I pulled the knife out and flung it at Michael. I heard the sickening thud as the knife penetrated either the tibia or fibula. Only the handle was protruding from the skin. In certain quarters the sobriquet appropriately entitled “Mac the Knife” was used.

What was the NRA’s response to the latest mass school killing by a deranged pupil in the USA? Arm all the teachers. Then provide them with regular firearm’s practice. The utter absurdity of this suggestion is that unless the shooter is a skilled marksman, the most likely victim of the bullet will be an innocent child.

27 killed in US elementary school massacre

Having fired various weapons whilst in the Army and witnessed casualties caused by one’s own fire, I am totally opposed to the arming of society in general. During the advanced stages of training, the South African favoured the use of live ammunition as opposed to blanks. Whilst practicing how to counter an ambush, the bush was so dense that one could not see one’s fellow soldiers. Catastrophe was averted by the officers calling a halt in the nick of time.

The most tragic of all was on the second night of D Company 3SAI’s deployment on the Border. That night, one of the soldiers awoke late at night and went to relieve himself. On his return to his sleeping quarters under a bush, he was challenged by a guard who requested the wagwoord – the password. The returning soldier laughed at the inane request and was promptly shot dead.

It was while debussing from a Buffel in the Caprivi Strip that I almost shot a fellow soldier in the back as he crossed my path in a counter ambush exercise

The McCleland household’s previous experience of an armed attack was in 2000. Fortunately I was away hiking the Suikerboschfontein trail just outside Carolina in Mpumalanga with the guys from the Quo Vadis Hiking Club.

On the Saturday night, a group of black guys had brazenly thrown a chair from the verandah through the main window of one of our lounges – there are 3 in the house. Janine dashed through to be confronted by a gang of “shoppers” in the lounge. She felt helpless while the children slept in their rooms. One even nonchalantly waived and stated, “Don’t worry Madam, we won’t hurt you. We want your electrics [presumably meaning they were shopping for some free electrical appliances].”

As an aside don’t you also find it annoying when a cashier asks, “Do you want a plastic?” (sic) [i.e. a plastic bag] as it offends my sensibilities.

The robbers smahed this window with garden furniture

On Sunday evening I stepped into the house totally refreshed and without a care in the world, to be confronted by a hysterical wife. She was in a foul mood demanding to be given a gun so that she could protect the children from the predations of these wanton robbers and thieves. It is inappropriate to quote her verbatim as I could be faced with divorce papers!

As calmly as was possible, I enumerated all the negatives to this proposal:

• What happens if the kids get hold of it?
• Will the gun still be in the gun safe when it is required?
• What happens if you shoot an innocent person and heaven forbid if it is one of the kids?
• The robbers have the element of surprise on their side

The dogs had been poisoned and were lying beside the pool

Even a Power Point Presentation would not have prevailed. Janine’s mind was made up and I would not be able to confuse her with the facts.

The revolver was duly purchased, Janine fired her 20 rounds and the Gun Licence was issued.

What became rapidly evident that the rigmarole of keeping the gun in the safe during the day when it could equally have been required and removing it at night was tedious. Ultimately I became aware that the place of safe keeping was no longer the gun safe as mandated, but the floor on Janine’s side of the bed.

A gun safe

Of course the children and the maid had access to the gun at all times. Furthermore when the maid cleaned the room, the revolver was placed on the dressing table. Knowing Gavin and his predilection of doing everything that was on the taboo list, he was playing with it & possibly even taking it to school to impress his school mates.

At least Janine was happy.

As the maxim states, “If the wife is happy, the man will be happy too.”

So I was happy.

Then the inevitable happened. One day Janine picked up the gun and a shot was discharged. Janine is still unable to explain to me why the bullet went right through my side of the bed. Like the suicidal Germanwings airplane pilot, was Janine practising?

Janine was in a panic. “Guns are too dangerous. We need to dispose of it.”

The McClelands improvements on the traditional tempered steel gun safe – stick the gun on the floor under the bed

As discretion was the better part of valour, I refrained from facetitiously stating, “But I told you so.”

Instead I meekly replied, “Just take it to the police and hand it over” and nodded in agreement.

Maybe in the case of the “Electrics Shoppers” in 2000, a gun would have been appropriate. But in the confusion the children and her folks – that is another story for another day – could have been in her line of fire. On balance it was marginally more dangerous to possess a gun.

What about Alesha’s episode with the armed gun men last Friday.

As she drove into the property, she pressed the remote to close the gates. At that moment a new shape BMW – presumably stolen – hit the gate derailing it and three armed men jumped out and ran towards her.

The main gate to the underground garage

With a presence of mind, she raised her hands and told them to take what they wanted. Of course the one who had to remove her jewellery did so one-handedly as the gun was in the other hand. In spite of being in the majority and with greater firepower, they were extremely jittery and nervous.

If these guys had had any suspicion that Alesha had a gun, she would have been shot. The fact that she reacted calmly and politely probably saved the day. In these circumstances, the slightest suspicious or untoward movement often results in being shot.

Would a gun have been any use under the circumstances?

Alesha’s car

Clearly not.

In fact it would have exacerbated the situation.

The irony is that these weapons were originally all legal weapons which have been stolen. The SA Police Services have just released the figures for the number of police guns lost or stolen over the past 3 years. It amounts to 2356 firearms of which 239 were from the Head Office.

Fortunately Layla was unable to attack the robbers at the atrium gate was closed otherwise she would have been shot

Arming one’s citizens to defend themselves against the predations of the criminal element is not a satisfactory solution as the number of deaths – both intended and unintended – will merely spiral upwards.

It cannot become the preferred solution to rampant crime.

Rather an efficient police force and criminal justice system must serve as the bulwark against this societal scourge combined with stricter penalties for “lost” firearms and when firearms are used in the commission of crimes.