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Written by: Lao Minyi
2020-08-24 00:00
Last update date: 2020-08-24 00:00The Hong Kong Gun Club has granted approximately 6.49 hectares of land at a nominal land price of 1,000 yuan under the "Private Pleasure Land Deed". There are such preferential terms, but the general public may not benefit, because the membership fee alone is already at least 100,000 yuan. The Fisheries and Conservation Department has advocated reducing the occupation of country parks, but the police opposed it.
Chen Jianqing, a member of the Local Research Institute, pointed out that the land lease stipulates that the gun club should avoid polluting the water source of the lot or adjacent lot, otherwise it must clean up at its own expense. Based on the current coverage and quantity of shooting waste, he believes that the Gun Club has obviously not fulfilled its responsibilities as tenants. The new contract will expire in June 2027 and the Lands Department has the right to use the highest level of punishment to recover the land.
The Lands Department did not respond to whether it has stepped up inspections and whether the gun club violated the land lease. It only repeated last year's reply that "if a violation of the lease terms is confirmed, the Tsuen Wan and Kwai Tsing Lands Office will take appropriate action to enforce the lease terms."
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Let the bullets fly | Lead shot targets are all over the mountains
Let the bullets fly | Gun Club 1,000 yuan lease land lease refers to the need to clean up pollutants, groups advocate the recovery of land
The hillside near the Hong Kong Gun Club is full of fragments of flying targets, lead pellets, and bullet rubber plugs, causing pollution. (Photo by Huang Shuhui)
According to the land lease terms of the Hong Kong Gun Club, it is stated that the grantee should avoid producing waste that affects public alleys, roads, or discharges into road culverts, front beaches or seabeds, sewers, storm drains, drains, open channels, catchment areas Or other government properties, otherwise you must clean up the waste at your own expense and make up for any damage caused to the “government property”. In addition, the government can remove the relevant waste according to the requirements of the approver, but the approver needs to pay the relevant expenses.
Chen Jianqing pointed out that the land lease requires the Hong Kong Gun Club not to pollute the nearby water catchment area and government properties, hoping that it will do its best to protect the environment. However, based on the current coverage and quantity of waste, it is obvious that the tenants have not fulfilled their responsibilities. He questioned the membership fee of 100,000 At 300,000 yuan, how can there be no financial resources to clean up. As early as 1961, the Hong Kong Gun Club was approved for the "Private Playground Land Lease". About half of the land was located in the country parks established later. He believed that the Gun Club had been granted privileged land for many years but ignored the surrounding environment. The Lands Department has the right Use the highest level of punishment to recover the land.
Chen Jianqing said that based on the current coverage and quantity of waste materials, the Hong Kong Gun Club has obviously not fulfilled the tenants' responsibilities. (Photo by Huang Shuhui)
Reported last year:
[Let the Bullets Fly] The Gun Club Competition wins the first prize among the mountain hikers who pollute the Chengmen Reservoir with rubber particles and lead particles
[Let the bullets fly] The bullets of the gun will contain one hundred lead beads per round. The polluted soil and water are not properly treated.
The Lands Department repeated last year’s reply but did not respond to whether it has stepped up inspections
The Lands Department replied that according to the land lease, the gun club can conduct shooting activities within the scope of the land granted, but it must comply with relevant legal requirements and land lease terms. The Department stated that the Tsuen Wan and Kwai Tsing Lands Office has been communicating with relevant departments on environmental issues of media concern, and has written to remind the gun club to properly clean up the residues of its operations. If it is proved that there is a violation of the lease terms, it will take appropriate enforcement of the lease terms. action. However, the department did not respond to questions such as whether it has stepped up inspections and whether the gun will violate the land lease.
The AFCD has advocated reducing the occupation of country parks and the police opposed
After reviewing the 2013 audit report, the AFCD recommended to amend the lot boundaries to minimize the occupation of the country park, and proposed to add special conditions to the contract to impose restrictions on development and other activities within the country park. . However, the Police Force stated that taking into account the latest safety licensing requirements, it was inappropriate to revise the lot boundaries, and ultimately maintained the existing contracted land boundaries.
Yang Rihui said that lead bullets commonly used in shooting activities have caused many environmental controversies in recent years. (Photo by Huang Shuhui)
American Gun Association "lead disaster" caused acute lead poisoning in more than half of ducks
Shooting activities have also caused environmental controversy in foreign countries in recent years. Green Earth Initiative and Communications Manager Yang Rihui, for example, said that The Remington Gun Club, an old gun club that has been operating for nearly 70 years in Connecticut in the northeastern United States, has been accused of releasing 5 million pounds of lead into adjacent waters and 11 million pounds of lead. Harmful debris caused acute lead poisoning by inhaling more than half of the ducks while foraging. The lead levels in oysters and mussels were also ten times higher than normal. In the end, the fishermen prevailed and the guns would be shut down in 1986.
He pointed out that the US Environmental Protection Agency has formulated guidelines for outdoor shooting activities, requiring guns to reduce the use of leaded bullets, formulating preventive measures to prevent bullets from falling into the natural environment, cleaning and recycling bullets and fragments, and regularly evaluating management effectiveness. Will bear the cost of clean-up, the Hong Kong government should make reference and strengthen supervision.
When asked about shooting waste disposal methods, the Environmental Protection Department replied that shotgun bullets and their use are regulated by the Police in accordance with the Firearms and Ammunition Ordinance. Shooting club licensees and venue managers must properly clean up and dispose of them in accordance with relevant regulations Used ammunition and its parts.
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