China Cracks Down On Illegal Guns

Beijing police are telling the city's residents to turn in illegal guns or face prison amid a national crackdown on unlicensed firearms, a news report said Wednesday.

Police nationwide have told the public to turn in airguns and replica firearms as well as functioning guns, the China Daily newspaper said. It said those who fail to comply could be imprisoned for two years.

Beijing police seized 100 guns last month — 65 of them replicas — and detained 98 people, 10 of whom will face criminal charges, the report said.

The crackdown launched last month is aimed at enforcing a 1996 law that tightened gun controls by banning ownership of airguns, the China Daily said.

In southern China, police in Guangdong province seized 6,684 guns in April and May, 6,085 of which were replicas, the report said.

"Such guns may cause unnecessary nervousness among the public," Qian Jin, a Beijing police official, was quoted as saying.