In August 2014, an ordinary farmer in Dazhou, Sichuan Province, was completely upended by an online purchase of toy guns.
Liu Xingzhong, an ordinary Sichuan farmer, was toiling in the fields when he was interrupted by a neighbor's urgent report: the police were going to arrest his son, Xiao Liu. He hurried home, only to learn the shocking news that his son had been charged with smuggling weapons because of a toy gun he had purchased online.
In the summer of 2013, Xiao Liu contacted a Taiwanese seller to buy a toy gun, but the deal could not be completed because the seller did not have the goods. A year later, the seller suddenly contacted Xiao Liu, saying that there were goods available, so Xiao Liu and his friends bought 24 toy guns and paid 30,000 yuan. However, the deal ultimately failed to go through, and the seller refunded the full amount.
However, it doesn't end there. On April 30, 2015, Xiao Liu was sentenced to life imprisonment and deprived of political rights for life by the Quanzhou No. 1 Intermediate People's Court in Fujian Province for arms smuggling. This verdict made Liu Xingzhong unacceptable: these toy guns were obviously only used for games, how could they be real weapons?
In the first instance, the court found that the 20 replica guns seized by the customs were lethal and therefore found to be firearms. Moreover, Xiao Liu and the seller used the words "dog" and "dog food" to refer to guns and ammunition in their conversation on QQ, indicating that they knew it was an illegal transaction. Liu's family was dissatisfied with the verdict and continued to appeal, but the original verdict was upheld in the second instance.
Until 2018, the Fujian High Court retried the case and sentenced Xiao Liu to seven years and three months in prison and fined more than 30,000 yuan. The retrial court held that although the guns were found to be lethal, they did not actually flow into society and cause actual harm, and Xiao Liu had a good attitude in admitting guilt, so the first-instance judgment was too heavy.
Liu Xingzhong was relieved by the verdict, and although his son was already in prison, at least there was hope for his future. Xiao Liu was only 18 years old when he was arrested and was 25 years old when he was released from prison. He realized that his particular hobby was not only a drag on his parents, but also a heavy cost to him.
This incident has aroused widespread concern and discussion in society. Some netizens believe that young people should know more about the law and avoid breaking the law because of ignorance. Some netizens feel that parents should pay more attention to their children's behavior and guide them to treat their hobbies correctly. Some netizens said that this incident reflects the mainland's strict attitude towards gun management, and even toy guns cannot ignore the law.
In the author's opinion, this incident is a cautionary tale to always be mindful of legal boundaries while pursuing our personal interests. At the same time, it also exposes the mainland's strict regulations on gun management, as well as the definition of imitation guns and toy guns. It is hoped that through this incident, more people can understand the law and abide by the law, so as not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
Liu Dawei's case is a classic legal tragedy caused by ignorance. His story shows us that both young people and parents should be more vigilant when it comes to sensitive items such as firearms. At the same time, it also reflects the zero-tolerance attitude of mainland law to gun control. It is hoped that through Liu Dawei's case, more people's attention and thinking can be aroused to avoid similar incidents from happening again.