( CNN ) -- The dozens of weapons a newspaper says the family of Oscar Pistorius owns are only for `` sport and hunting , '' the family says . The family , in a statement released Tuesday , sought to distance itself from Henke Pistorius , Oscar 's father , who said that some of the guns are for protection from crime -- protection he said the African National Congress government is not providing . The family 's statement also was at odds with one by Oscar Pistorius , who told the magistrate who granted him bond that he kept the handgun that killed his girlfriend at his bed because he 's `` been a victim of violence and of burglaries . '' Opinion : Why brutality is ingrained in psyche of South Africa . The `` Pistorius family own weapons purely for sport and hunting purposes , '' the Olympic icon 's family said in the statement provided by a spokesman . Beeld , an Afrikaans language newspaper , has reported the Pistorius family owns 55 weapons -- between his father , grandfather and two uncles -- not counting Oscar 's six guns . The family 's statement came in response to a controversy triggered when Henke Pistorius defended the arsenal by telling a UK newspaper that white South Africans need guns for self-defense because the ANC , which gained control in 1994 with the collapse of South Africa 's apartheid system , does a poor job of protecting them . `` Some of the guns are for hunting and some are for protection , the hand guns , '' Henke Pistorius is quoted as telling a Telegraph reporter . `` It speaks to the ANC government -- look at white crime levels , why protection is so poor in this country , it 's an aspect of our society . '' While he said he 's never used any of his four firearms -- two rifles and two handguns -- for self-defense , `` that does n't mean I have n't been hijacked , attacked . '' `` As a family , we value life much too much to produce guns at every opportunity we can use them , '' Henke Pistorius told the Telegraph . `` I have been in positions where I can use a gun but we have been brought up in a way that we value the lives of others very highly . '' The ANC immediately attacked Henke Pistorius , saying his statement was not only `` devoid of truth , it is also racist . '' `` It is sad that he has chosen to politicize a tragic incident that is still fresh in the minds of those affected and the public , '' ANC spokesman Jackson Mthembu said . `` This tragic incident has affected two families that are still trying to come to terms with what happened and this latest racist slur is not assisting these families . We think it is ill-advisable for anyone to start apportioning undue blame . '' Oscar Pistorius is charged with premeditated murder in the death of his girlfriend , model Reeva Steenkamp . Prosecutors say the Olympian killed Steenkamp , 29 , after a heated argument in the early morning hours of Valentine 's Day . The double-amputee sprinter , known as the `` Blade Runner , '' submitted a sworn affidavit to the judge considering his bail request last month saying he kept a 9 mm pistol `` underneath my bed when I went to bed at night '' because he was `` acutely aware of violent crime being committed by intruders entering homes with a view to commit crime , including violent crime . '' `` I have received death threats before , '' the affidavit said . `` I have also been a victim of violence and of burglaries before . '' The magistrate granted bail , allowing Pistorius to go free eight days after the shooting . The Pistorius family , which hired a `` reputation management '' firm to help with media relations , issued a statement Monday saying , `` Oscar and the rest of the Pistorius family distances itself '' from Henke Pistorius ' comments . `` Henke 's interview with the newspaper was unapproved by our media liaison team , '' family spokesman Arnold Pistorius , Henke 's brother , said . `` The comment does n't represent the views of Oscar or the rest of the Pistorius family . '' Another political party -- the Young Communist League of South Africa -- weighed in on what it called `` reckless remarks . '' `` It is actually believed by most South Africans that the wealthy , mostly white people receive preferential treatment and it is for this reason that the Young Communist League can not take seriously the claims made by Henke Pistorius , '' the party said . Nkepile Mabuse , Brian Walker and Nana Karikari-apau contributed to this report .
Henke Pistorius cites `` white crime levels '' as the reason for weapons arsenals . ANC calls Henke Pistorius quotes `` devoid of truth ... racist '' The Pistorius family issues a statement distancing itself from the quotes . Oscar Pistorius told a judge he kept a gun in fear of violent crime .