Source: China News Network
Some of the seized guns Courtesy of the Xianju County People's Procuratorate
Taizhou, 26 Sep (Xinhua) -- On 26 September, this reporter learned that the People's Procuratorate of Xianju County, Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, filed a public prosecution with the Xianju County People's Court against Chen and four others on suspicion of illegal possession of firearms and illegal hunting, and Against Zhou and three others on suspicion of illegal hunting.
After investigation, at the end of 2019, Chen illegally possessed a shotgun and hid the shotgun on the second floor of his old house. Around December 2020, his friend Li borrowed a shotgun from Chen after learning about it, and then repeatedly teamed up with Lu and others to hunt wild animals such as hares and yellow chamois with hunting rifles, and after each hunt, the gun was hidden in his home by Lu.
In March 2021, Li purchased an air gun for hunting, and did not dare to put it in his home, and handed it over to Lu for safekeeping. Lu Moujia, fearing that he had too many guns in custody, proposed to hand over the shotgun to Lu Moujia for safekeeping, and Lu Moujia hid the shotgun in his old house.
On the evening of June 1, 2021, the Xianju County Public Security Bureau arrested Zhou, Li, Lu, and Chen on suspicion of illegal hunting. Later, criminal suspects Lu Moujia, Chen Mou and others voluntarily surrendered.
It was determined that the captured shotguns were gunpowder-powered non-military firearms and the captured air guns were non-military firearms powered by compressed gas.
It is reported that the Notice of the Xianju County People's Government on Strengthening the Protection of Terrestrial Wild Animals and Regulating Hunting Activities stipulates that the hunting period for terrestrial wild animals is from March 1 to October 31 every year. It is forbidden to use air guns and other hunting tools and devices that endanger the safety of people and animals for hunting, and it is forbidden to use auxiliary equipment such as infrared imaging to hunt.
After review, the Xianju County People's Procuratorate held that Chen and four others violated the regulations on gun control and illegally possessed firearms; in violation of hunting regulations, they used prohibited tools and methods to hunt during the hunting ban period, the circumstances were serious, their acts violated the provisions of the first paragraph of article 128 and the second paragraph of article 341 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China, the facts of the crime were clear, the evidence was credible and sufficient, and they should be investigated for criminal responsibility for the crime of illegal possession of firearms and the crime of illegal hunting.
Zhou Mou and the other three violated hunting regulations by using prohibited tools and methods to hunt during the hunting ban period, the circumstances were serious, their behavior violated the provisions of the second paragraph of article 341 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China, the facts of the crime were clear, the evidence was credible and sufficient, and they should be investigated for criminal responsibility for the crime of illegal hunting. (End)