Applications for firearm licenses in South Africa have quadrupled over the past decade, according to a recent report written by William Brederode on ⁠News24⁠. Between April 2022 and March 2023, over 139,000 new applications for gun ownership were filed with the South African Police Service, compared to just over 33,000 in the same period from 2011 to 2012. South Africa has seen a 77% increase in murders in that same time span, rising from 15,554 in 2011/12 to 27,494 in 2022/23.