TOKYO, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Japan plans to revise its law to impose tougher punishment on possessing a gun or illegally firing guns, Kyodo News said Tuesday.
The government adopted a bill on Tuesday to make the changes such as lifting the maximum sentence for having a gun from 10 years to 15 years, and the minimum sentence of illegally firing a gun from three to five years.
The bill, if passed by the parliament, would be the first revision to Japan's firearms control law since 1995. The bill was drafted by the National Police Agency with an aim to fight serious crimes using guns.
After the revision of the law, penalty for firing a gun would be raised to five years to life in prison or a fine of up to 30 million yen (256,000 U.S. dollars) if it involved a gang or illegal profit purposes, from the current punishment of three years to life in prison without a clause on a fine.
Meanwhile, possessing a gun would result in a sentence of one to 15 years in prison or a fine of up to 5 million yen (43,000 dollars), up from the conventional provision of one to 10 years in prison.
The bill also raises punishment for smuggling and distribution of firearms, the report said.
