Govt Mulls Tighter Control Over Firearm Parts

"); jQuery("#212 h3").html("

Related News Programmes

"); jQuery(document).ready(function() { jwplayer.key='EKOtdBrvhiKxeOU807UIF56TaHWapYjKnFiG7ipl3gw='; var playerInstance = jwplayer("jquery_jwplayer_1"); playerInstance.setup({ file: "https://newsstatic.rthk.hk/audios/mfile_1576021_1_20210217192031.mp3", skin: { url: location.href.split('/', 4).join('/') + '/jwplayer/skin/rthk/five.css', name: 'five' }, hlshtml: true, width: "100%", height: 30, wmode: 'transparent', primary: navigator.userAgent.indexOf("Trident")>-1 ? "flash" : "html5", events: { onPlay: function(event) { dcsMultiTrack('DCS.dcsuri', 'https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1576021-20210217.mp3', 'WT.ti', ' Audio at newsfeed', 'WT.cg_n', '#rthknews', 'WT.cg_s', 'Multimedia','WT.es','https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1576021-20210217.htm', 'DCS.dcsqry', '' ); } } }); }); });

2021-02-17 HKT 14:02

Share this story

facebook

  • The government says smugglers have been making use of a "loophole" in the law to bring firearm parts into Hong Kong. Image: Shutterstock

    The government says smugglers have been making use of a "loophole" in the law to bring firearm parts into Hong Kong. Image: Shutterstock

The government on Wednesday launched a public consultation on proposed legal amendments that will tighten the control of firearm components, citing a loophole in the definition of “arms” in existing laws.

It proposed to define a list of components as “items that are capable of being used as part of a firearm” in the Firearms and Ammunition Ordinance.

Currently, the prosecution has to prove to the court that the components are used or intended to be used for the discharge of a missile from arms – which the government said has been exploited by criminals to smuggle parts into Hong Kong before assembling them into weapons.

According to the consultation document, the list of components includes "a barrel, chamber or cylinder, a frame, body or receiver, a breech block, bolt or other mechanism for containing the pressure of discharge at the rear of a chamber".

The government also put forward a 90-day grace period for people to dispose of the listed components or apply for a licence.

It noted that there has been a “worrying” surge in the smuggling of suspected firearms and their components, with Customs reporting 35 such cases last year, up from single digit figures recorded in the previous few years.

The consultation will last for four weeks.

RECENT NEWS

HashKey Capital Partners With Tiantu AM To Explore Virtual Asset Funds

HashKey Capital has signed a memorandum of strategic collaboration with Tiantu Asset Management (Tiantu AM), a wholly o... Read more

You Can Now Make Alipay Payments With AR Glasses

RayNeo and Ant Group have announced a partnership to develop digital payment solutions for global use. The collaboratio... Read more

JICA Goes Live With Finastras Loan IQ In First Japan Deployment

Finastra has announced that the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has gone live with its Loan IQ platform. ... Read more

Japan Set To Approve First Yen-Backed Stablecoin

Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) is preparing to approve the issuance of the country’s first yen-backed stab... Read more

Indonesia And China Begin Trials For Cross-Border QRIS Payments

Bank Indonesia (BI) and the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) have begun a series of trials for cross-border QR code paym... Read more

ANZ Appoints Ender Tanar As Japan Country Head

ANZ, headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, announced the appointment of Ender Tanar as Country Head for Japan, reporti... Read more