Prevent the illegal use of high-powered knives

Of the total 28,715 cases of illegal use of weapons, explosives, and supporting tools to commit crimes, 25,378 cases (accounting for 88.4%) involved subjects using rudimentary weapons, knives, and knife-like tools to commit crimes.

In the upcoming 7th session, the National Assembly will continue to give opinions on the draft Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives, and Support Tools (amended).

Regarding the draft law, there are currently some contents that people are very interested in, which are adding highly lethal knives to the group of primitive weapons; adding some types of weapons to the group of military weapons.

A knife is a weapon when used for illegal purposes.

The draft law stipulates the addition of highly lethal knives to the group of primitive weapons; the use of highly lethal knives for labor, production, and daily life purposes is not within the scope of this law.

Primitive weapons are equipped for the people's armed forces and other forces to perform official duties or are not equipped for subjects as prescribed by this law but are used for the purpose of illegally infringing on human life and health.

Police forces count the number of weapons and explosives recovered. (Photo: VNA)

Regarding this regulation, Colonel Vu Minh Hung (Head of Department 3, Department of Administrative Police for Social Order, Ministry of Public Security ) analyzed that the Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives and Supporting Tools 2017 does not stipulate that knives with high lethality are weapons; rudimentary weapons equipped for the people's armed forces and other forces to perform official duties or not equipped for subjects according to the provisions of this law but used for the purpose of illegally infringing on human life and health are not determined to be military weapons.

Minister To Lam emphasized the need to review procedures for granting licenses and certificates for weapons, explosives, explosive precursors, and support tools to reduce unnecessary paperwork.

Meanwhile, Article 306 of the 2015 Penal Code (amended and supplemented in 2017) stipulates that criminal prosecution can only be applied for the crime of illegally manufacturing, storing, transporting, trading, using or appropriating primitive weapons when the subject has been administratively sanctioned for this act or has been convicted of this crime and has not had his criminal record cleared.

Through the summary of 5 years of law enforcement, it can be seen that in a total of 28,715 cases of subjects illegally using weapons, explosives, supporting tools to commit murder, robbery, intentional injury, resisting law enforcement officers, disturbing public order..., up to 25,378 cases (accounting for 88.4%) of subjects used rudimentary weapons, knives and knife-like means to commit crimes. In particular, subjects using knives to commit crimes were 16,841/25,378 cases (accounting for 66.4%).

Many cases of subjects using sharp, highly lethal knives (cleavers, machetes, machetes...) to kill people in a very reckless, cruel, and savage manner have caused public outrage, confusion, and anxiety among the people.

In reality, the current situation is that young people are forming gangs, groups, converting sharp knives, welding iron pipes 1-2m long to resolve conflicts, pay each other, threaten people, causing public outrage; therefore, it is necessary to include knives with high lethality in the group of primitive weapons.

In addition, primitive weapons when equipped for armed forces to use in direct, face-to-face combat with criminals to protect national security, ensure social order and safety, these weapons when used by subjects to infringe on human life and health are as dangerous as other military weapons; therefore, it is necessary to include these primitive weapons in the group of military weapons to adjust the perception and behavior of subjects, reducing the source of crime.

"However, highly lethal knives are dual-purpose tools, commonly used by people in labor, production, and daily life. Therefore, to ensure that they do not affect or impact people's social life, the draft law only stipulates that highly lethal knives are weapons when used for illegal purposes; cases where highly lethal knives are used for labor, production, and daily life purposes are not within the scope of this law," said Colonel Vu Minh Hung.

According to Colonel Vu Minh Hung, it is necessary to define highly lethal knives as weapons in the draft law, in which it is clearly defined: Highly lethal knives when used for illegal purposes are primitive weapons.

Knives with high lethality when equipped for armed forces and other forces to perform official duties or used for the purpose of illegally infringing on human life and health are military weapons.

Knives with high lethality used for labor, production and daily life purposes are not subject to the scope of this law.

"Adding knives to the list of primitive weapons is extremely important in state management and crime prevention and control," Colonel Vu Minh Hung emphasized. This includes preventing illegal use of knives, especially knives with high lethality to commit murder, robbery, intentional injury, resisting law enforcement officers, disturbing public order, etc.; preventing the situation of teenagers forming gangs, groups, converting sharp knives to resolve conflicts, killing each other, threatening people, causing panic, anxiety, and anger in society and the people.

Providing a highly lethal knife is a weapon to adjust the subject's perception and behavior to reduce the source of crime.

Add some weapons to the military weapons group

In addition, the draft law also stipulates the addition of shotguns, flintlock guns, compressed air guns, compressed air guns and ammunition used for these guns to the group of military weapons.

Image of a group of robbers committing a crime in Ha Dong district, Hanoi, in the early morning of March 14. (Photo: Hanoi City Police)

Previously, the Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives and Supporting Tools 2017 only regulated some types of these weapons as hunting guns (flint guns, air guns), sports weapons (air rifles, explosive rifles, air pistols, explosive pistols, paintball sports guns, flying disc guns); the above regulations did not fully cover all types of guns, so in reality there are many types of shotguns, compressed air guns, compressed air guns that are not regulated in this law.

Meanwhile, Article 306 of the 2015 Penal Code (amended and supplemented in 2017) stipulates that criminal proceedings can only be taken against the crime of illegally manufacturing, storing, transporting, trading, using or appropriating hunting guns and sports weapons when the subject has been administratively sanctioned for this act or has been convicted of this crime and has not had his criminal record expunged.

The summary of 5 years of law enforcement shows that out of a total of 2,113 cases of subjects illegally using guns to commit crimes, murder, robbery, intentional injury, resisting law enforcement officers, disturbing public order..., only 330 cases involved subjects using military guns, the remaining 1,783 cases (accounting for 84.4%) involved subjects using homemade guns (shotguns, compressed air guns, compressed air guns...), many of which caused particularly serious consequences, killing many people, and were as dangerous as military weapons.

Therefore, it is necessary to add these types of weapons to the group of military weapons, and assign the Minister of Public Security to issue a list; these types of weapons, when equipped for use in training, sports competitions or hunting, are identified as sports weapons or hunting guns.

According to VNA/Vietnam+

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