Recently, a 43-year-old man in Taiwan shot up a police station in Taoyuan City late at night with a gun and escaped. During the police chase, 99 shots were fired between the two sides, and one police officer was shot in the left shoulder. The man was eventually arrested.
According to Taiwanese media reports, the man was wearing a body armor, armed with a modified long submachine gun and two modified short pistols, and fired 40 shots. The police also seized 30 bullets from his car and a large number of air guns and gas guns at his residence, which can be called a small arsenal. Many netizens on the island ridiculed him for dreaming of becoming the "Guilin boy" Chen Guilin in the movie "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils".
Before committing the crime, the man had posted photos of guns on social media to provoke the police. It is reported that he is a member of the Taoyuan gang "Da Shulin Gang". He has been imprisoned for drug cases in the past, and has been repeatedly arrested, injured and shot by the police. In May last year, a large number of air guns were seized from him, two of which were very lethal. The whole case was transferred to the Taoyuan District Prosecutor's Office for investigation. It is suspected that he was dissatisfied and took revenge.
"Has no one noticed that Taiwan's security is getting worse?" a Taiwanese netizen posted on social media after the case.
He said that the security on the island is now similar to that in the United States. The only difference between the two is that ordinary Taiwanese people cannot legally obtain guns; the proliferation of guns in Taiwan's underworld is comparable to the level of legal gun ownership in the United States.
As soon as the post was exposed, netizens on the island flooded in with messages. “Every day there are either guns or drugs”, “There are a lot of ex-convicts and wanted criminals out there”, “This is paving the way for the legalization of firearms, and the future is coming when everyone will own a gun”; some people pointed the issue directly at the abolition of the death penalty on the island. , "No one died, which means that the criminal had no intention of harming others and had regrets. I sentence him to a suspended sentence and a fine"...
In recent years, illegal guns, fraud, and drugs have been the three major security problems on the island. A survey report by the Crime Research Center of Taiwan's National Chung Cheng University stated that in 2023, Taiwanese people's satisfaction with social safety net measures was only 54.5%, and their satisfaction with the Taiwan authorities' prevention of fraud crimes was as low as 37.62%. Statistics from Taiwan's "Police Administration" show that there will be 100 shooting cases in Taiwan in 2022, with an average of one every 3.65 days.
In the past, gangs were proud of themselves with guns, but later there were shootings on the streets. Why are illegal guns kept banned in Taiwan?
The modification of imported guns has become one of the important sources of illegal guns on the island.
Taiwan is surrounded by the sea, making it difficult to prevent gun smuggling, and modified guns are rampant. The Taiwan authorities’ supervisory agency once pointed out that the majority of modified guns on the island are imported and modified “low-kinetic energy guns”. In 2021 and 2022, the imports reached more than 49,000 and 176,000 respectively. “Blanks” or “blank bullets” “Bullet imports are unregulated and can easily be modified into lethal bullets.
The online and easier-to-obtain gun trade on the island has also contributed to the increase in the number of illegal guns.
According to Taiwan media reports, after Taiwan banned simulated guns in 2005, "operating guns" similar to real guns began to appear on the Internet or in model stores. On many online forums, there are endless sales information of gas guns, imitation guns, etc., as well as instructional videos on how to modify guns. The total cost of gun purchase and modification may be less than NT$50,000 (approximately RMB 11,500).
In addition, Taiwan’s military and police have poor management of firearms, resulting in some firearms flowing into the civilian population. Previously, the island's military had been exposed to cases of military product theft, with the "Stinger" missile launcher actually flowing into the gang's arsenal. Police guns have been robbed, arsenals have been stolen, military supplies have been discarded for dismantling and awaiting surrender, etc. The other end of the chain is the black gun market that has been repeatedly banned.
The high number of major shootings is due to the fact that the DPP authorities are "ruling Taiwan with their mouths." The relationship between politics and business is intricately intertwined, and gun control only treats the symptoms but not the root cause. This is the result of the DPP’s efforts to fight for public security.
According to analysis by local media people, the cost of committing crimes in Taiwan is getting lower and lower. No matter how heinous and serious the crime is, the sentence will be light. There is neither one penalty for each crime nor a real cumulative sentence. "Public security issues are the foundation of social stability, and the Taiwan authorities' protection of criminals has reached an incredible level."
Taiwan's "United Daily News" once published an editorial criticizing the "combination of politics and gangsters" chaos on the island. From high-level green camp officials interacting with gang bosses to police university principals having banquets with local gangsters, the distance between those in power and the underworld is so close. It’s no wonder that the authorities’ so-called crackdowns on gangs, gun suppression, and fraud are all just slogans. Gun and fraud crimes have never disappeared. The "combination of politics and gangsterism" is gradually eroding the foundation of the DPP government!
Author: Xia Zhi
Source: China News Service WeChat official account