KL tightens rules on guns

KL tightens rules on guns

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir
Mohamad yesterday announced a nationwide freeze on the issue of
licenses to own firearms for an indefinite period.

Mahathir, who is also the Home Minister, said the freeze order
was issued after the recent arrest in Taiwan of a Sabah
businessman for alleged arms smuggling, the national Bernama news
agency reported.

Malaysian police have confirmed that the arms were smuggled
from the East Malaysia state of Sabah following the arrest of
former national shooter Vincent Teo, now an arms and ammunition
dealer in the Sabah city of Kota Kinabalu.

Teo has been sentenced to one month's jail and fined 6,000
ringgit for the illegal sale of 31 firearms to the businessman,
who did not have a license to own firearms.

Malaysian police said on Friday they were carrying out an
internal probe into some policemen suspected to be linked to gun
running in Sabah.

Mahathir said yesterday that the freeze decision was made by
the Home Ministry recently because too many license holders had
not been taking care of their firearms and had lost them.

"We have sometimes been too lax (in issuing the licenses) and
too many people are losing their firearms. So we want to ensure
that only those who are eligible get the license," he told
reporters.

Ownership of firearms is strictly controlled under Malaysian
law and holding guns illegally is punishable by death.