ORIGINAL ARTICLES Firearm-related crime has long been a feature of

South African society, which has the third-highest annual rate of firearm deaths (26.8/100 000) after Colombia and Venezuela.1 The South African burden of disease study showed that homicide was the second leading cause of mortality and, although the overall number of homicides has decreased since 1994, gun-related murders remain the leading cause of violent deaths.2,3 Gun ownership is mainly a male phenomenon, a means to demonstrate manhood, particularly among young men.4 While men are the predominating victims of gun violence, women are most vulnerable behind closed doors, where guns are used to intimidate, control, hurt and kill intimate partners. An association between gun availability and homicides and suicides has been shown. A gun in the home is more likely to be used against a family member than in providing protection.5-7 Femicide (female homicide) studies hav