Proposed changes to Hong Kong firearms law aimed at closing loophole in which smugglers ship gun parts separately into city
- Security Bureau launches month-long consultation on amendment, arguing that fix will help prosecutors in court
- Court currently requires proof such parts have been used or were intended to be used for the discharge of a missile from arms
Hong Kong security officials have proposed tightening the definition of firearms to plug a legal loophole exploited by smugglers, who ship components separately into the city before assembling them into functional weapons.
The Security Bureau, which said the surge in such crimes was “worrying”, on Wednesday revealed customs officers had detected 35 cases – five times of what was discovered in 2019. A total of 550 genuine firearm components were seized in 2020. There were only 17 cases between 2016 and 2018.
The bureau warned of a rising trend in which air parcels containing firearm parts were sent to the city in separate shipments.
Authorities have launched a one-month public consultation to propose amendments to the Firearms and Ammunition Regulations by specifying essential component parts as arms. Currently prosecutors must prove in court that such parts have been used or were intended to be used for the discharge of a missile from arms, which can be difficult, according to the bureau.
“As seen in past cases, there were often practical difficulties in proving this element of the offence,” the consultation paper stated, adding that the tightened control of component parts could protect lives and property.
“This difficulty has created a loophole that criminals can exploit by importing genuine firearm components through separate shipments, and assembling them to form fully functional firearms thereafter.”