Flood of Sword Management Strengthening Bills... 'Too Late' After National Assembly Term Expiry and Discard

Left unattended after proposal when becoming a social issue
Failed to pass the Judiciary Committee in the last National Assembly
Regular mental illness verification needed

Recently, as stabbing crimes have occurred one after another, numerous bills to strengthen knife control have been proposed. Similar bills were introduced in the previous National Assembly as well, but all were discarded due to the expiration of the legislative term. There is criticism that such bills are only briefly proposed when they become social issues to attract attention, then neglected afterward.

According to the 'Cumulative Status of Knife and Firearm Possession Permits' from the National Police Agency on the 2nd, the number of knives registered was 72,051 in 2019, 79,183 in 2020, 80,771 in 2021, 82,305 in 2022, 82,159 in 2023, and 82,641 as of June 2024. Firearms were recorded as 124,502 in 2019, 123,854 in 2020, 116,186 in 2021, 113,424 in 2022, 109,977 in 2023, and 108,663 as of June 2024.

The National Police Agency plans to conduct a full inspection of knives and improve related systems this month. In this comprehensive investigation, they will closely review ▲whether any criminal records have occurred after permit issuance ▲history of domestic violence ▲opinions from local police stations to thoroughly verify the appropriateness. When issuing new knife possession permits, eligibility will be examined, and police officers will interview applicants directly.

If during this process the appropriateness or risk of knife possession is deemed questionable, a review committee chaired by the head of the Crime Prevention Response Division at the police station may convene to deny the permit. A National Police Agency official stated, “We will promptly eliminate blind spots in knife safety management by supplementing deficiencies in current laws.”

According to the National Assembly’s legislative information system, three bills to partially amend the Act on the Safety Control of Firearms, Knives, and Explosives were proposed just last month. The government proposed a bill specifying that those sentenced to probation should also be included among disqualified persons.

Go Dong-jin, a member of the People Power Party, submitted a bill requiring individuals seeking to possess gas-powered guns, explosives, or crossbows among knives and firearms to submit a physical examination certificate verifying mental illness or personality disorders, with mandatory renewal every five years. Mo Kyung-jong of the Democratic Party proposed a bill strengthening disqualification criteria so that persons who committed specific violent crimes or child sexual offenses cannot possess firearms for 10 years after serving their sentence, and requiring regular mental health checks.

Bills related to the Firearms and Explosives Control Act have been proposed whenever knife or firearm crimes occur. During the 21st National Assembly, a total of nine related bills were submitted but discarded due to term expiration. These bills were prompted by incidents such as a man in his 70s killing a neighbor with a knife after a parking dispute in June last year, and a case in August 2018 in Bonghwa-gun, Gyeongbuk, where a complainant dissatisfied with civil petition handling fired a gun wildly. At that time, the Administrative Safety Committee integrated and adjusted bills from Democratic Party member Song Jae-ho and People Power Party member Kim Yong-pan, but the bills were not discussed in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee due to other pressing issues.

Oh Yoon-sung, a professor of Police Administration at Soonchunhyang University, said, “Firearms are confiscated at police stations, but knives are not. Not all knives can be regulated just because they can be used as weapons,” adding, “While regular mental health verification and other supplements are necessary, there is realistically no perfect solution.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.