On Monday, Taiwan’s legislature passed amendments to existing gun control laws, adding new provisions to prohibit the use of firearms in public. The crime of using firearms or ammunition to shoot in or towards public spaces now carries a minimum sentence of 7 years in prison and a fine of up to NT$15 million (US$500, 000).
The amendments also extend to firing non-standard firearms. Shooting in public with unconventional weapons now carries a sentence of five to 12 years in prison and a fine of up to NT$10 million (US$330,000).
The legislators also revoked the commutation clause in the gun control laws. Those who hand themselves in after firing guns in public will no longer be guaranteed a sentence shortening, which was promised in the previous version.