Destroyed more than 500 homemade guns and explosives collected from the people. Photo: VNA

According to the Ministry of Public Security , the situation of crimes using homemade guns, primitive weapons and knives to commit crimes is becoming increasingly complicated; therefore, it is necessary to perfect legal regulations to promptly prevent and handle risks that cause insecurity and disorder.

There are still "gaps" in weapons management.

Statistics from the Ministry of Public Security show that over the past 5 years, the whole country has detected 28,715 cases and arrested 48,987 subjects illegally using weapons, explosives, support tools, knives and knife-like devices.

Of these, the number of cases using knives and similar devices accounted for 58.6%, primitive weapons accounted for 29.7%, and homemade guns accounted for 6.2%. The situation of crimes using homemade guns, primitive weapons, and knives to commit crimes is becoming increasingly complicated. Many subjects use highly lethal knives (chopping knives, cleavers, machetes, etc.) to kill people, with a very reckless and cruel nature.

Knives are always available in daily life, and when conflicts arise, they are ready to be used to attack the victim. However, because the current law does not define knives as weapons, the use of knives is only handled when the subject commits a criminal offense (murder, robbery, intentional injury, etc.), and cannot be handled in the direction of illegal possession or use of weapons.

Similarly, homemade guns can have dangerous consequences like military weapons (a single shot can kill or injure many people). However, according to current regulations, homemade guns are not equipped for the people's armed forces and are strictly prohibited from being manufactured, produced, traded, transported, stored, and used.

The Ministry of Public Security said that many people have taken advantage of these loopholes to illegally manufacture, store, trade, transport, and use homemade guns, primitive weapons, knives, etc. If this is not promptly prevented and handled, it will potentially cause insecurity and disorder.

Propose some additional prohibited behaviors

To overcome the above shortcomings, the Ministry of Public Security has proposed many new regulations on weapons in the draft. The Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives and Support Tools (currently in effect) classifies weapons as follows: military weapons, hunting guns, primitive weapons, sports weapons and other weapons with similar features and effects.

In the draft, the Ministry of Public Security proposed to classify weapons into: military weapons, primitive weapons and sports weapons. Of which, shotguns, flintlock guns, explosive guns, paintball guns, gas guns, compressed air guns, compressed air guns... are added to the list of military weapons.

Similarly, high-damage knives are added to the list of primitive weapons. "High-damage knives" are defined as sharp knives, pointed knives and sharp-edged knives with a blade length of 20 cm or more, or knives with a blade length of less than 20 cm but converted or assembled to have the same function and effect as high-damage knives.

The Ministry of Public Security also proposed a number of prohibited acts such as: researching, manufacturing, producing, trading, exporting, importing, storing, transporting, repairing, renovating, assembling, illegally using, appropriating primitive weapons, except for knives with high lethality used for labor, production, and daily life purposes; strictly prohibiting the illegal carrying of weapons, explosives, explosive precursors, and supporting tools into and out of public places; illegally advertising weapons, explosives, explosive precursors, and supporting tools, etc.

VNA