Amendments passed by the legislature on Monday add a penalty of at least seven years in prison for discharging a firearm in public, with exceptions for indigenous peoples.
The amendment to the Controlling Guns, Ammunition and Knives Act (槍砲彈藥刀械管制條例) stipulates the jail sentence in addition to a fine of up to NT$15 million (US$479,187) for discharging a firearm in public.
Firing a tranquilizer, gas, air or other type of non-standard gun in public is subject to five to 12 years in prison and a fine of up to NT$10 million.
Photo: Wang Chun-chi, Taipei Times
Another change says that those who surrender themselves with their weapons “may” have their sentence reduced, changing from “must” previously.
The softer language is intended to tamp down on instances of people under investigation shooting a firearm in public before turning themselves in to receive a more lenient sentence.
The amendments also raise the status of banned imitation guns to be regulated under criminal law, while their ammunition and components are to be handled under administrative penalties.
Inspections of firearm component manufacturers are also to be required under the law to prevent their products from leaking to illicit users.
Additionally, penalties for manufacturing, selling or transporting imitation guns are to be increased from a fine of up to NT$2.5 million, to a fine of up to NT$7 million and imprisonment of one to seven years.
Renting, lending, possessing, storing or displaying for the purpose of selling imitation guns is to be subject to a fine of NT$1 million to NT$10 million, up from a fine of up to NT$200,000 currently.
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