Indigenous people who plan to import homemade guns for hunting purposes would be required to pass a training course administered by the Council of Indigenous Peoples on safe use of hunting guns, the council said yesterday.
The council yesterday launched its first safe-use training session for homemade guns in Taoyuan in accordance with ruling No. 803 issued by the Constitutional Court on May 7, 2021.
The ruling requires the Ministry of the Interior to include in the Regulations Governing Permission and Management of Guns, Ammunition, Knives and Weapons (槍砲彈藥刀械許可及管理辦法) a clear definition that protects the constitutional right of indigenous people to engage in legal hunting activities through the safe use of “self-made” hunting guns.
Photo: Chou Min-hung, Taipei Times
An amendment to regulations must be proposed within two years following the issuance of the ruling, the court said
The ruling recognizes indigenous hunting cultures and ecosystem protection as important values protected by the Constitution, Council of Indigenous Peoples Minister Tseng Chih-yung (曾智勇) said at the opening ceremony of the course.
“The first training course is to serve as a trial, and it would help modify training for indigenous hunters’ needs,” Tseng said. “In the future, indigenous people would be required to pass a training course for the safe use of hunting guns before they can apply to have them imported to Taiwan, according to the amendment to the regulations proposed by the National Police Agency last year.”
The training would ensure the safety of indigenous hunters and sustainable conservation of indigenous hunting cultures, he said.
The course includes 10 hours of gun use, three hours of training on basic knowledge of hunting and 11 hours in the field, the council said, adding that it would include the importance of wildlife protection in indigenous cultures and regulations.
The council added that it is considering allowing indigenous people and hunters’ associations to facilitate an 11-hour hunting practice section.
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