Hong Kong must ensure that guns are kept out of the wrong hands
This week’s deadly shootings in a city known for its safety underline the need for the authorities to maintain a tight control of firearms
If there is one thing that weighs in Hong Kong’s favour against negatives such as housing costs when it comes to attracting talent and families, it is its reputation as a safe city, where individuals can walk the streets without fear.
It is well deserved and rests partly on the tight control of the right to own or carry firearms. But it did not prevent a shooting incident that cost two lives on Tuesday.
We accept that police, airport anti-terror personnel, currency couriers and the like carry guns for use as a last resort to maintain law and order and keep the city safe. We expect the authorities to be diligent in their vigilance to ensure that firearms do not find their way by any means into any other hands.
When a family dispute erupts in gunfire in a public place, as it allegedly did in Quarry Bay Park, it comes as an unexpected reality check, best summed up by an American resident who works at nearby Cityplaza: “I thought it was hard to obtain firearms here, unlike where I come from.”
