“It was within the ’80s that the federal government advised us handy in our weapons for safekeeping, and we by no means received them again.” This quote from an indigenous Taiwanese man named Talum Suqluman units the scene for the story of how Taiwan’s native inhabitants has almost misplaced its capability to legally use firearms to hunt. A movie crew from VICE Information helped inform the story of how Suqluman was arrested and sentenced to jail after utilizing a factory-made looking rifle to shoot animals for meals.
In Taiwan, civilian gun possession is sort of completely banned, with the one exception being selfmade weapons for members of the island’s native tribes. Nevertheless, there is a catch: these weapons can’t be mass-produced or purchased from shops. They have to be hand-built by every particular person hunter, and may solely be utilized by their creator.
“Ultimately, [the government] advised us we needed to make our personal weapons. We do not actually have the right tools, so we use no matter metallic and welding tools we are able to discover,” Suqluman tells the movie crew. Unsurprisingly, this results in many preventable accidents. “As a substitute of capturing animals, we ourselves get shot. Both the barrel bursts or the bullets are discharged by accident.” Since ammunition is not readily-available for the selfmade weapons, many Taiwanese yard gunsmiths have resorted to utilizing improvised ammo. One hunter confirmed off his muzzle-loader, which fires a 10mm metal ball bearing propelled by a nail gun cartridge.
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There seems to be a rising motion to revive looking rights and legalize factory-built rifles in Taiwan. This motion is motivated by hunter security, conservation, and the preservation of cultural heritage.
Try the 40-minute VICE documentary beneath:
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Written by Patrick McCarthy 
