I came access this. Apparently you can own a gun In Taiwan? I know some aboriginals who said they used rifles while I was in the army. So I tried to look up some info and found this. Not sure if it’s all true. I do know some aboriginals have hunting rifles legally.
I particularly enjoyed how it said a lot of things with absolutely zero references or citations.
I also felt suspicious, it says like 1 million people own guns. Clearly it’s not true. There’s not much information on gun ownership here. I just know that some aboriginals have rifles for hunting. Not sure if it’s a law just for aboriginals?
It gives me the familiar feeling of usual suspect- reality-distoriting pro-KMT narrative.
The military and the police are the only two groups of people that can own real fire-arms. So they could slaughter the Taiwanese people before and intimidate them now. Those two groups of leagal firearm bearers at large are still loyal to the Chinese Nationalist Party and are still resentful toward the DPP administration.
Gun ownership of the aborigines for hunting is just put up there as a token and as a distraction from the cruel reality.
It’s probably as in many countries, you can own a gun, rifle, crossbow, slingshot etc. when licensed and had a background check and have strict control on where and how you keep them locked away, taking them to a shooting range, hunting or clay target shooting.
No one has been able to point me to exact laws. But someone said that it’s a legal benefit given to aboriginals as a special dispensation for cultural expression. And not all civilians can own one.
Don’t think more guns in Taiwan is a good thing:
dont think anyone’s saying that here. Im just wondering if anyone knows the laws on it. Because it’s not outright banned like I think people believe.
As far as I know (and I have not researched this), Aboriginals currently can only legally own muskets (front loaded guns), and they usually build those themselves which can be dangerous if not assembled properly. Since muskets are not exactly easy to use, some resort to acquiring rifles illegally.
I sometimes do wonder about what’s the best way to preserve Aboriginal people’s hunting tradition. First of all, prior to industrialization, everyone had a hunting tradition…
If we are just going to give Aboriginals the right to hunt because their hunting tradition is still well and alive, then there’s the issue with “how traditional do we want to keep it?” Obviously the Aboriginals didn’t invent muskets or rifles, so if we really want to maintain tradition, should they really be using guns?
Even if Aboriginals have been using guns since the Dutch era, most of them continued to own guns by purchasing it from British traders, they traditionally used muskets. So if tradition is the key here, should they be using rifles?
Also, just because one’s an Aboriginal hunter doesn’t mean he is immune from being an idiot while hunting. Every year there’s news hunting accidents:
2 days ago:
14 year old boxing prodigy shot dead in hunting accident…
2016:
2015:
https://tw.appledaily.com/headline/daily/20151207/36940541/
2013:
2012:
2011:
I mean… I’m a huge supporter of reviving Aboriginal culture and Aboriginal autonomy. I’m would vote for an Austronesian language to become the new national language if there’s a referendum out there, I would gladly become illiterate and learn the new Austronesian national language with a smile on my face, that’s how big a proponent I am for restoring Aboriginal culture first here in Taiwan. But people really need to think hard about gun control and preventing people dying needlessly.
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AFAIK it’s what you said: aboriginal peoples are allowed to own hunting rifles, and that’s about it. I’m sure there are various legal channels which will allow you to buy and use a gun with strict supervision (shooting ranges etc), as there are in most countries, but carrying a weapon in public is definitely forbidden.
Personally I think this law is incredibly stupid. As you said, they didn’t invent or manufacture the things, so they’re clearly not “traditional”. I wonder if they ever invented the recurve bow or the crossbow (as in mainland China)? Used properly, they are as effective as a gun for hunting.
Here are the laws.
Controlling Guns, Ammunition and Knives Act
槍砲彈藥刀械管制條例
槍砲彈藥刀械許可及管理辦法
槍砲彈藥刀械業個人資料檔案安全維護管理辦法
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It seems to me the tradition is simply people living in a marginal environment grabbing their weapon and going out to kill something to eat. Firearms seem to have been the weapon of choice for a long time. If there’s a law requiring people to use muskets I’ll agree that’s stupid and having a law that’s so obviously going to be ignored is a bad idea. Some kind of reasonable hunting rifle makes sense.
I think the tradition should have more meaning than that. Going out hunting is a great way of connecting with the landscape, the environment, and the fauna and flora. If the Aboriginals do this while using their native language, then this enables the transmission of traditional tales, legends, history, and claims over territories.
Perhaps hunting isn’t the only method to transfer these knowledge, but with the right regulation and training, it should be safe for both people and the environment. Also, Aboriginal cultures traditionally associate hunting with manhood and community sharing, so hunting is culturally significant.
That, and getting a license by taking a class.