Gun theft exposes lack of rules
This is the indoor shooting range in Busan where a man allegedly stabbed the owner of the range and fled with a handgun and 19 bullets, Saturday. The incident exposes lax control and the lack of rules on firearms at shooting ranges. / Yonhap
'Suspect planned to rob post office in Busan'
By Chung Hyun-chae
Saturday’s handgun theft in Busan has exposed lax control and the lack of rules on firearms at shooting ranges.
A man surnamed Hong, 29, was arrested four hours after he stabbed the owner of an indoor shooting range and fled with a handgun and 19 bullets.
Only the female owner was in attendance because another male employee had briefly left his seat.
The law stipulates that a shooter should not be left alone without supervision of a manager, and that there should be a safety latch to prevent theft.
However, there is no punishment for violating this law. Also, there was no safety latch to prevent the theft.
“We found that anyone can easily take guns if he or she intends to do so at a shooting rage,” said a police officer at Busan Jin Police Station.
Hong initially told police that he had planned to kill himself, but it was later learned that he had planned to rob a postoffice in Busan’s Haeundae district, although he did not do so.
Police said Hong was under financial stress with a 30 million won debt, and allegedly wanted money to open a restaurant.
Police said that Hong had stolen a kitchen knife from a restaurant last month and visited the shooting range to steal the firearm on Oct. 1. But he failed to do so because two employees, including a man, were there.
Police learned of Hong’s previous visit through surveillance camera footage and from his handwriting when he signed in.
According to police, Hong first used his real name, but then crossed it out it and gave a false name, false resident registration number and false phone number.
Police said the identification information required was unreliable because there was no regulation concerning identification confirmation checks and firearms management.
“Although we check the shooting ranges once a month according to the law, we cannot crack down on their management due to lack of legal grounds,” an officer said.
An expert has called on the government to establish strict safety regulations on guns at shooting ranges to prevent similar incidents.
“Given that crimes involving guns often lead to severe casualties, proper legal sanctions are needed,” Lee Hyo-min, a professor in the police administration department of Youngsan University, told The Korea Times. “I think that shooting ranges are allowed to hire private security guards to oversee the shooting ranges. “The age limit allowed for the shooting ranges should be raised from 14 years, because practice shooting at such a young age could develop into a violent nature.”
Police announced Sunday they will enforce stricter measures for managing shooting ranges to prevent crimes like the stabbing that happened in Busan on Saturday.
Under the new measures, the shooting ranges should lock the guns’ safety hooks and have more than two employees on duty at all times. Police also pledged to revise the related law as soon as possible.