In the People's Republic of China, access by the general public to firearms is subject to some of the strictest control measures in the world. With the exception of individuals with hunting permits and some ethnic minorities, civilian firearm ownership is restricted to non-individual entities. [1]
Law enforcement, military, paramilitary, and security personnel are allowed to use firearms. [1] Police are to use issued pistols only to stop serious or dangerous crimes. [2]
Airsoft guns are practically prohibited in China, as muzzle energy limits classify them as real firearms. [3]
Gunpowder was invented in China more than a thousand years ago, [4] with the first definitive written record of chemical formulae found in the mid-11th century Song dynasty military compendium Wujing Zongyao , and the very earliest possible reference dating to the Eastern Han dynasty. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, matchlock muskets were used in China, and the Chinese used the term "bird-gun" (Chinese :鳥銃) to refer to muskets. [5]
Mao Zedong remarked "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun" in 1927 and 1938, a sentiment that was maintained after winning the civil war. The country's strict centralized stance on gun control was officially instated in the country in 1966, [4] and extended in 1996 when the government banned the buying, selling and transporting of firearms without official permission. [4] [6] According to the Chinese police, up until 2006, an underground gun-trading triangle in Southwest China fed the Chinese gun market, with guns being manufactured in Songtao and trafficked into Xiushan and Huayuan before reaching a national distribution scale. [6]
According to official figures, from June to September 2006 (six-month crackdown) the Chinese authorities confiscated 178,000 illegal guns, 3,900 tons of explosives, 7.77 million detonators and 4.75 million bullets. [7] In 2007, a study released by the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies estimated that around 40 million guns were owned by Chinese civilians, a gross over-estimation according to Chinese analysts. [6] Throughout the 2000s, The Wall Street Journal noted a rise of gun popularity in China. [4]
In China, firearms can be used by law enforcement, the military and paramilitary, or security personnel protecting property of state importance (including the arms industry, financial institutions, storage of resources, and scientific research institutions). [1]
Civilian ownership of firearms is largely restricted to non-individual entities such as sporting organizations, hunting reserves, and wildlife protection, management and research organizations. The chief exception to the general ban for individual gun ownership is for the purpose of hunting. [1] Individuals who hold hunting permits can apply to purchase and hold firearms for the purpose of hunting. [8] Illegal possession or sale of firearms may result in a minimum punishment of 3 years in prison, and the penalty for a gun crime is death penalty. [7] [4]
Airsoft guns are also practically prohibited due to the Ministry of Public Security dictating very restrictive new criteria that rendered most such toy guns being defined as real firearms, [3] and violation may lead to a criminal conviction for illegal possession of firearms. [9] Official media has discussed potential dangers of imitation guns (Chinese :仿真枪). [10]
The possession of traditional smoothbore blackpowder muskets is allowed to some Miao hill people, the so-called Miao gun tribes, as an essential element of traditional dress and culture; [11] however, possession of gunpowder is regulated.
The Biasha (Basha) Miao people (Chinese :岜沙苗寨) living in Bingmei, Guizhou, claim they can legally possess guns, since they use them for their annual traditional performance. [6]
Firearm ownership in the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau is tightly controlled and possession is mainly in the hands of law enforcement, military, or private security firms (providing protection for jewelers and banks). Still, possessing, manufacturing, importing, or exporting airsoft guns with a muzzle energy not above 2 joules (1.5 ft⋅lbf) is legal to citizens in China's SARs.
Firearms control was inherited during British and Portuguese rule and more or less retained today. Under the Section 13 of Cap 238 Firearms and Ammunition Ordinance of the Hong Kong law, unrestricted firearms and ammunition requires a license. [12] Those found in possession without a license could be fined HKD$100,000 and imprisonment for up to 14 years. [13]
"Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China, and other territories within Greater China. By convention, the territories that fall outside of the Chinese mainland include:
The autonomous regions are the highest-level administrative divisions of China. Like Chinese provinces, an autonomous region has its own local government, but under Chinese law, an autonomous region has more legislative rights, such as the right to "formulate self-government regulations and other separate regulations." An autonomous region is the highest level of minority autonomous entity in China, which has a comparably higher population of a particular minority ethnic group.
Muzzle energy is the kinetic energy of a bullet as it is expelled from the muzzle of a firearm. Without consideration of factors such as aerodynamics and gravity for the sake of comparison, muzzle energy is used as a rough indication of the destructive potential of a given firearm or cartridge. The heavier the bullet and especially the faster it moves, the higher its muzzle energy and the more damage it will do.
Airsoft is a sport in which players use airsoft guns to fire plastic projectiles at other players in order to eliminate them. Due to the often-realistic appearance of airsoft guns and their ability to fire projectiles at relatively high speeds, laws have been put in place in many countries to regulate both the sport of airsoft and the airsoft guns themselves. Safety regulations in many areas require an orange or red tip on the end of the barrel in order to distinguish the airsoft gun from a working firearm. They are officially classed as "soft air devices" or "air compressed toys", depending on the jurisdiction. A handful of countries including Australia, China, Malaysia and Singapore, have laws that are deemed to be airsoft-unfriendly.
The Driving License of the People's Republic of China is the legal driving license within China, excluding the two special administrative regions. In these two territories, separate driving licenses must be obtained from their respective traffic authorities. It is issued, ratified, and regularly inspected by the traffic administrative department of the public security organ. Minimum age varies from 18 all the way up to 26 in the country.
The National Standards of the People's Republic of China, coded as GB, are the standards issued by the Standardization Administration of China under the authorization of Article 10 of the Standardization Law of the People's Republic of China.
The Labour Law of the People's Republic of China is a law of China which has been enforced since 1995. It was promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China on July 5, 1994, and came into effect on January 1, 1995.
National Mobilization Law was legislated in the National People's Congress (NPC) of the People's Republic of China on 26 February 2010. The law gives the NPC Standing Committee the power to put the national economy and civilians in China, including foreign assets, in war-time footing if "state sovereignty, unification, territorial integrity or security is threatened."< The law went into effect on 1 July 2010.
The People's Republic of China Travel Document is a type of travel document issued by Chinese embassies, consulates, and other foreign offices to Chinese citizens for their international travel to China and other countries. The bearer of the Travel Document is legally a Chinese citizen in accordance with the Nationality Law.
Fu Zhenghua is a former Chinese politician and public security officer. In March 2013, Fu was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Public Security (minister-level) and Deputy Communist Party Secretary of the Ministry of Public Security. Since 2015, Fu has served concurrently as the head of the 610 Office. He was also appointed as the Minister of Justice in 2018. Fu was known to be a close ally of Sun Lijun, he has come under investigation in October 2021 and was expelled from the Chinese Communist Party and removed from public office in March 2022. He was subsequently arrested, tried, and given a suspended death sentence.
The Li Keqiang Government was the Central People's Government of China from 15 March 2013, when Premier Li Keqiang took office, until March 2023. It succeeded the Wen Jiabao government. Premier Li is ranked only second to Party general secretary Xi Jinping among 7 members of the 18th and 19th Politburo Standing Committee, top decision-making body of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The Medal of the Republic is one of the People's Republic of China's two highest decorations for Chinese nationals. On December 27, 2015, the National People's Congress Standing Committee passed a law establishing three national orders of merit: the Republic Medal, National Honorary Titles – for contributions in specific fields and industries – and the international Friendship Medal, constituted on January 1, 2016.
The constitutional oath of office of China was implemented on January 1, 2016 through a decision by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China. The oath requirement applies to state civil servants elected or appointed by the National People's Congress and its Standing Committee at or above the county level.
The Shanghai Financial Court is the first specialised financial court to be established the People's Republic of China. It was established in August 2018 to provide specialised handling of finance related cases.
A gel ball blaster, also known as a gel gun, gel shooter, gel marker, hydro marker, hydro blaster, water bead blaster or gelsoft, is a toy gun similar in design to airsoft guns, but the projectiles they shoot are 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in) superabsorbent polymer water beads, which are often sold commercially as moisture retainers for gardening and pot/vase floriculture.
The Third Circuit Court of Supreme People's Court of People's Republic of China opened on December 28, 2016, in Nanjing. It acts in the same authority as the Supreme People's Court and has jurisdiction in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, and Shanghai.
Miao Yuntai was a Chinese male politician, who served as the vice chairperson of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
Huang Xihua is a Chinese politician and a representative of the Guangdong region in the National People's Congress of China.
The Permanent Resident Identity Card for Foreigners of the People's Republic of China, formerly known as the Permanent Resident Card for Foreigners and informally as the Chinese Green Card, is a legal identity document for foreigners who have obtained permanent residence qualifications in China to reside in China.