Presentation of the Lever-Action Sliding Bolt Shell Ejection System Aims to Improve the Safety of Homemade Hunting Rifles

Published: May 4, 2024, 19:10
Location: Beinan Township, Taitung
Reporter: Bunkiatr Katatrepan (Lu Hao-Ming)

Overview

In January 2023, Taiwan's National Police Agency under the Ministry of the Interior released a draft of the Regulations Governing Indigenous Hunting Rifles for public consultation. The draft stipulates that the major components of homemade hunting rifles must consist of imported firearm parts approved by the Ministry of the Interior and purchased from overseas firearm manufacturers. This proposal differs significantly from the long-standing Indigenous practice of independently producing, manufacturing, and repairing hunting rifles, and has therefore sparked widespread concern among Indigenous communities.

In response, Malivan Kawru, a Puyuma community member from the Dabaliujiu (Dabalio) Tribe in Beinan Township, Taitung, held a patent presentation on May 4 to introduce his Lever-Action Sliding Bolt Shell Ejection System. Through this new rifle design, he hopes to strengthen Indigenous communities' capacity to produce their own hunting rifles while improving both their safety and ease of use.

On the afternoon of May 4, Malivan Kawru hosted the patent presentation for his Lever-Action Sliding Bolt Shell Ejection System in his home community, demonstrating how the newly designed mechanism enhances the safety and practicality of homemade hunting rifles.

Malivan Kawru, Designer of Traditional Homemade Hunting Rifles:

"My research focuses on a smoothbore hunting rifle. Loading ammunition from the muzzle is the safest method because we can immediately inspect the size of the ammunition to ensure it is neither too large nor too small. After loading the projectile from the front, we install the primer, fire the rifle, and then eject the spent casing."

Malivan emphasized that government restrictions over many years have prevented Indigenous homemade hunting rifles from achieving meaningful safety improvements. Although the National Police Agency's draft Regulations on the Permission and Management of Homemade Hunting Rifles and Spearguns for Indigenous Peoples and Fishers seeks to expand access to factory-manufactured hunting rifles, it simultaneously prohibits Indigenous people from producing, manufacturing, and repairing their own rifles. In his view, such policies risk undermining the core cultural values embedded in Indigenous hunting traditions.

Malivan Kawru, Designer of Traditional Homemade Hunting Rifles:

"These homemade hunting rifles were born from our own land. They are part of our culture and are important cultural heritage that must be passed on to future generations. I hope the government understands that while importing hunting rifles may be allowed, it should never prohibit us from making our own."

Malivan further explained that, much like traditional farming tools, hunting rifles are not only essential instruments for daily life in Indigenous communities but also symbols of cultural continuity and historical development. He urged the government not to stigmatize Indigenous homemade hunting rifles or hunting culture, so that the knowledge and wisdom cultivated through generations of living with the mountains can continue to be passed on to future generations.

Editor: Huang Jin-Ni