Dramatic drop in gun crime shows progress

Updated: 2012-04-05 07:19

By Zhang Yan and Zhu Zhe (China Daily)

  Print Mail Large Medium  Small 分享按钮 0

The number of gun-related crimes is dropping rapidly nationwide, despite a recent spate of armed robberies, police say.

In 2000, police dealt with about 5,000 gun-related crimes across the country. The number dropped to about 500 in 2011, down 46 percent from 2010, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Public Security.

The decrease is mainly due to China's strict policy on gun control and tougher policing measures, said Yan Zhengbin, deputy director of the ministry's security administration.

Before 1996, when the regulation for control of firearms was issued, police seized 5 million guns on average annually, mostly shotguns and activated imitation guns.

After the regulation came into effect, which bans individuals from possessing guns and clarifies penalties, gun crimes have been on the decline.

The number of guns confiscated by police has dropped to tens of thousands every year, mainly air guns, homemade-gunpowder weapons and imitation ones, Yan said.

"Now, China is one of the countries with the lowest incidence of firearms crimes, compared with many Western countries," Huang Ming, deputy minister of public security, said recently.

According to FBI statistics, in 2010, there were 12,996 murders in the United States, of which 8,775 were caused by firearms.

Whereas in China, only 77 of the 500 gun crimes last year were homicides, ministry figures show.

However, Huang said that although China's firearm control efforts have achieved progress, the situation remains grim.

The country has witnessed a series of armed robberies in recent months, which has triggered great public concern and prompted the ministry to launch a crackdown on guns and explosives from February to November this year.

On Tuesday, an 8-year-old boy was shot dead in Shaodong county, Hunan province. The boy surnamed Xie was believed shot while traveling with his parents on a motorized tricycle.

Local police said they have tracked down the suspect on Wednesday.

Besides the known areas of firearms proliferation, such as Qinghai, Guizhou and Guangxi, police will also target Gansu, Guangdong, Hunan and Shandong provinces, where firearm cases are rising.

People who illegally own, manufacture, transport, rent or sell firearms and ammunition face up to seven years in jail. They could even face a death sentence if the use of firearms has serious consequences, said Li Guifang, a senior member of the All-China Lawyers' Association.

8.03K