The 532 confiscated firearms, comprising 323 long guns and 209 handguns, were destroyed by iron cutting machines at the South Sumatra Police firing range, Palembang.
"By destroying the firearms, we want to inform the residents that possession of firearms in a personal capacity is prohibited, and the process to possess the firearm is regulated by laws," South Sumatra Police Head Inspector General Toni Harmanto stated here on Wednesday.
The police head affirmed that officers will be indiscriminate in taking legal actions against residents found possessing, manufacturing, storing, or hiding firearms.
He said that the police need to be firm in reminding residents about the illegality of possessing firearms, as residents in the province have been accustomed to firearms.
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The province has been labelled as a major homemade firearms producer in the region, he added.
"The police force is committed to enforcing repressive legal enforcement (against violators) in the next phase of Operation Musi Firearms. Hence, we encourage residents to voluntarily surrender their firearms to police officers sooner," Harmanto remarked.
Meanwhile, South Sumatra Deputy Governor Mawardi Yahya said that the provincial authority lauded the police forces' action in eradicating illegal possession of firearms among residents in the province.
"The operation is expected to free South Sumatra from illegal possession and circulation of firearms that are prone to be misappropriated for criminal acts," Yahya remarked.
According to Article 1, paragraph (1) of Emergency Law No. 12 of 1951, illegal possession of firearms in a personal capacity is punishable by death, life sentence, or a 20-year prison sentence. Moreover, residents must apply for a special permit before being allowed to possess a firearm.
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Translator: M Riezko Bima E, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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