Crime using homemade guns: SOS!

(Baonghean) -In the past few years, in Nghe An province, "settlements" between gangs in a gangster style, or resolving personal conflicts using weapons, have become more and more common. In addition to knives, swords, tofu, iron pipes..., homemade guns (sam let) are the weapons that these subjects are familiar with. This is really a worrying thing for the security and order situation and the peace of the people in the area.

At around 10:30 p.m. on February 8, 2011 (the 6th day of the Lunar New Year), a shooting occurred at the Heaven 69 dance floor (at the Labor Culture House, Vinh City), killing one person and seriously injuring two others while watching a concert. Immediately after the incident, the provincial police investigation agency arrested the perpetrator, Nguyen Khac Nhat (born in 1993, residing in Block 3, Ben Thuy Ward, Vinh City), along with a homemade gun as the weapon used in the crime.

At the investigation agency, the suspect confessed: At around 9 p.m., Nhat and a group of 4 friends invited each other to the Heaven 69 dance floor to drink alcohol and watch singer Nhat Tinh Anh perform. Before leaving, Nhat had a homemade gun about 50 cm long. At around 10 p.m., when singer Nhat Tinh Anh appeared, the whole group rushed to the dance floor to watch. At this time, in front, a group of young men stood up to watch and blocked the group's view, so they argued loudly. The conflict occurred when a person in the other group suddenly used a beer bottle to hit the face of a friend who was with Nhat. Seeing his friend being beaten, Nguyen Khac Nhat pulled out a gun, aimed it at the stomach of the young man from the other group and pulled the trigger, causing him to collapse to the floor and die. The victim was Nguyen Tuan Trung (born in 1993, residing in Hong Son ward, Vinh city). Knowing that the enemy was shot, Nhat and his accomplices ran away, then went to Military Hospital 4 together to bandage their wounds and then escaped until they were arrested.

Most recently, on the evening of May 6, 2011, while trying to stop a group of people from fighting, Mr. Tran Huu Hanh (residing in Dong Vinh Ward, Vinh City) was shot and injured by a person using a homemade gun, with about 100 bullets in his back and arm. Five days after the incident, the perpetrator, Nguyen The Luong (born in 1974, living in Block 3, Cua Nam Ward, Vinh City) turned himself in.

Guns and ammunition seized by police



Nguyen Cong Dac (born in 1982, residing in Quang Trung ward, Vinh city), received the death penalty for murder with a homemade gun.

According to statistics from the Department of Investigation of Social Order Crimes, Provincial Police, from 2010 to present, in the whole province, there have been 11 serious crimes related to the use of homemade guns, arresting 14 subjects.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Duy Vinh, Deputy Head of the Department of Investigation of Social Order Crimes, Provincial Police: The improvised gun originated from the mountainous areas, especially the Mong people often made it for hunting. However, currently, gangsters in many different ways (homemade, bought from abroad, bought from ethnic people...) have found ways to own it as a "talisman" for themselves and their gangs, because currently a improvised gun costs less than 1 million VND, and bullets can be homemade or bought easily. Although it is handmade and has a fairly simple structure, the improvised gun causes a very high level of damage. This is a type of air gun, with 1 or 2 barrels made of iron tubes, 70 - 80cm long, but criminals often shorten the stock and barrel to only about 30-40cm for easy concealment and use. Its bullets come in many forms, made by buying fuses and using machines or by hand, adding iron filings, lead or small marbles, and when fired they burst out like a bunch of mustard flowers. Therefore, once in its sights, it is very difficult for the enemy to dodge.

Although this type of weapon is extremely dangerous, up to now, the recovery and handling of subjects using homemade guns is still very difficult. Because according to the provisions of the Criminal Law, homemade guns are not included in the list of military weapons, so the act of storing this type of gun is not subject to criminal prosecution but only administrative sanctions, which means that it is impossible to prosecute, detain or apply prison sentences to those who store this dangerous type of gun. Only when the subject uses it to commit a crime, commits a criminal offense, will it be considered for handling. Therefore, the control has only stopped at the level of propaganda and mobilizing people to hand over. In 2006, the Provincial Police advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue Directive 207 on mobilizing people to hand over weapons, explosives, and support tools, and has collected and destroyed nearly 4,000 hunting guns of all kinds. Most recently, on September 15, 2011, the Provincial Police continued to advise the Provincial People's Committee to issue a Plan to prevent and combat acts of smuggling, production, trading, storing, and using hunting guns, fireworks, and support tools.

However, with its relatively high lethality, ease of manufacture and use, this type of weapon still exists quite a lot among the people, especially in mountainous areas, in the hands of gangsters. And they are very difficult to seize without the cooperation of the people, not to mention that these types of guns can be easily purchased from across the border.

Currently, in addition to mobilizing people to hand over weapons, the authorities are focusing on exploiting the arrested subjects to better understand the subjects who still possess guns in society in order to have management measures. In particular, the authorities are stepping up measures to prevent and combat crime, focusing on organized crimes, aggressive thugs using "hot" weapons; focusing on checking suspected criminal gangs with weapons, resolving conflicts among the people, or between gangs, strengthening administrative management in sensitive areas such as bars, dance floors, karaoke bars...

However, to limit the consequences of homemade guns, it is necessary to add new regulations, with provisions to strictly prohibit and severely punish those who buy, sell, and use this type of weapon. Only then can the authorities effectively carry out their work in combating and controlling primitive hunting guns in general and homemade guns in particular, instead of waiting until the subjects commit criminal offenses with homemade guns before handling them as is currently the case.

Quang An