This photo taken on Aug 12, 2019 shows confiscated illegal guns and explosives in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei province. (XIONG QI / XINHUA)
BEIJING – Chinese authorities plan to launch a four-month campaign to seize illegal guns and explosives as part of the country's sweeping crackdown on crimes involving hazardous items.
The campaign will run from June to September, and will be initiated by the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) in collaboration with the Supreme People's Court (SPC) and the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP), MPS said at a press conference on Tuesday.
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A total of 19,000 guns, 520,000 rounds of ammunition, 12 tonnes of explosives and 54,000 detonators have been confiscated, the Ministry of Public Security said
Thorough checks will be conducted in key areas prone to gun crimes, including rural areas, forestry areas, pasture land, mountains, mining areas, urban-rural fringes and deserted factories.
Efforts will also be made to encourage the public to provide tip-offs, deliver themselves up to justice and hand in illegal guns and explosives voluntarily, MPS added.
Those who voluntarily surrender such illegal items until Sept 30, 2021 may be given a lighter or mitigated punishment, or exempted from punishment, according to a document jointly released by SPC, SPP and MPS.
Targeting manufacturing, online trafficking and smuggling of illegal firearms and explosives, police across the country have cracked 8,644 such cases, busting 67 crime dens and capturing 8,338 suspects, MPS said.
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A total of 19,000 guns, 520,000 rounds of ammunition, 12 tonnes of explosives and 54,000 detonators have been confiscated, MPS said, adding that 314 cases were solved due to tip-offs from the public.