Gun-related consumption and South Africa's gun culture

Did you know?

In one week, 750 people play splatt-attack, a conflict simulation game in which team players compete against one another by shooting paintballs with air guns, at one of the 5 splatt-attack playing fields in the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Area.

Consumers have a choice of over forty plastic toy guns sold at 86% of toy shops and 74% of grocery and appliance chain stores in the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Area.

1 120 replica toy guns, also called BB or non-powder guns, were bought as children's toys in the Greater Jo'burg Metro Area in 1997. This is despite America viewing these 'toys' as a public health hazard because the velocity of pellets shot by them is equivalent to guns requiring a license.

Is shooting guns more than fun?
Clearly, guns have a high entertainment value for people, particularly children. But is shooting guns nothing more than fun, or is it conveying another message? Gun Free South Africa, recently addressed this question by exploring the link between gun-related consumption and South Africa's gun culture.

South Africa's gun culture
Referring to South Africa's gun culture describes more than the estimated 13 million firearms in this country, 5 million owned by the South African Police Service and National Defence Force and 4 million each legally and illegally owned. It also includes a situation in which guns are socially accepted and seen as integral to life. Guns have saturated South Africa to such an extent that its citizens are no longer shocked by their proliferation, and associated violence, including 30 firearm-related deaths a day. In short, South Africa's gun culture refers to more than the pervasiveness of guns and gun violence in South Africa. It also describes the tolerance displayed by South Africans to this gun proliferation.

Reflecting and reinforcing South Africa's gun culture
In the Gun Free South Africa study, the prevalence and popularity of gun-associated products and activities is an indicator of such permissiveness. While their widespread availability and use have contributed to South Africa's gun culture, this link is often not recognised. Rather such products and activities are viewed as harmless, the emphasis being on their entertainment value. So, how can buying or using gun-associated products like war toys, including toy guns and computer, and play station games involving shooting, or engaging in gun-related activities like splatt-attack and arcade games contribute to a gun culture? The Gun Free South Africa study identifies three ways in which this occurs.

Legitimisation
Firstly, gun-associated consumption legitimises guns. This normalisation of guns is found in a number of gun-related products and activities, for instance BB or non-powder guns, which so closely mimic authentic firearms that they are also called replica toy guns. By playing with these guns, children are desensitised to the dangers they pose seeing them as toys rather than the dangerous weapons they are. Their close mimicry of authentic weapons also means that children are unlikely to be able to distinguish between the two, perceiving an authentic weapon as another toy.

This normalisation of guns, and gun-ownership is often coupled with a reinforcement of gender stereotypes. For instance, masculine associated attributes like speed, skill and accuracy in shooting activities are rewarded, and armed males are portrayed as "the defenders" of defenceless women. Where gender stereotypes are challenged, gun-ownership is still encouraged. This is clearly demonstrated by referring to Lara Croft of Tomb Raider fame, the best-selling computer game in South Africa in 1997.

Lara Croft is portrayed as a sexy soldier, being tough and competent, but nevertheless retaining her femininity. And women identify with her. Being a break from the cliché of macho main characters, they see her as a female gun-wielding Indiana Jones, likely to blast away anyone harassing her. As such, she legitimises female gun-ownership by glorifying the power guns imply in a patriarchal society where violence is perpetrated against women.

However, as often occurs, this glosses over the dangers of guns, for instance, Lara's guns are never used against her.

Romantisation
Secondly, gun-related consumption romanticises guns. This glorification is apparent in a number of consumables, particularly those involving an "us versus them" mentality which justifies the blasting away of "the other".

This message is implicit in a toy gun called the Alien Pistol, a popular Christmas gift in 1997. Its futuristic, brightly coloured appearance and "Real Human Voice" saying "Attention, Drop Your Gun" seems at first to refer to an invasion of threatening, gun-wielding out-of-space aliens. Yet the implication of a 'human-alien' war is an issue of concern when located within South Africa's present climate of xenophobia. 'Aliens' in this context are dehumanised, with South Africans blaming them for various ills including taking jobs, drug-trafficking and car hijackings (Handmaker, 1998). The solution? An Alien Pistol to blow your problems away. However, this glorification of guns fails to acknowledge that gun ownership often amounts to a feeling of security rather than actual safety, particularly as 2 700 guns are stolen from legal gun-owners monthly, in other words 90 a day.

Trivialisation
Finally, gun-associated consumption trivialises the lethality of guns, portraying them instead as entertaining and amusing. Examples of this are the Bubble Gun which ridicules the deadly capacity of bullets, shooting large coloured bubbles instead, or water guns whereby, in the words of one toy-shop owner, children can experience killing someone while only drowning them. Another example of trivialisation is found in splatt-attack.

Splatt-attack's mimicry of actual combat is apparent from referrals to it as war gaming, from the accessories used in play including camouflage gear, "squadbusters" which are paint filled hand-grenades, as well as paintballs described as "liquid death". In addition, players are urged to "shoot a buddy", and its close simulation of conflict situations means that it is popular for training security personnel. Despite this mimicry of actual combat, it is extremely popular for children's birthday parties, seen as an energetically amusing option.

Recommendations
Clearly, the availability, purchase and use of gun-related products and activities has contributed to South Africa's gun culture by normalising and glorifying guns or by belittling their destructive power. Because 'familiarity breeds consent', message being conveyed is that guns are an acceptable means through which to resolve conflicts. Is this what we want children to learn? The challenge confronting us is how to replace this culture of guns and violence with one of peace. So, what can you do? Below are a number of suggestions:

Teach children that playing with gun-related products is not just fun, because such play reflects and strengthens South Africa's gun culture. This would entail discussions with children as they are shown the ways in which gun-related products and activities legitimise, glorify and belittle guns and associated violence.

Promote educational as opposed to military toys. This can be done in a number of ways, for example, by encouraging schools to become war toy free zones by banning war toys, or by rewarding children's play with toys that promote pro-social behaviour such as co-operation, turn-taking, helping and sharing. In this way a secure environment is created for children, free from intimidation, both real and in play Arrange a toy gun hand-in in which children can actively participate in an effort to reduce the number of guns in South Africa. In addition, this could be seen as an opportunity to teach children that guns often make people feel safer without actually being safer Children need to be taught creative responses to conflict, in contrast to the current message that guns and violence are a solution. We, as role models to children, have an influential role in showing children that there are alternatives available.

For more information about this study, its findings and recommendations, contact:

Claire Taylor
Gun Free South Africa
PO Box 31532
Braamfontein
2017

Telephone:+27 (11) 403-4590   
E-mail: gunfree@wn.apc.org