KUCHING: Deputy Minister Datuk Jefferson Jamit clarified that shotguns owned by Sarawak’s Dayak community can only be passed down from parents to their children, a regulation enacted by the Sarawak government due to concerns regarding public safety.
This provision, he said, aligns with local customs and needs but is also subject to the condition that it is re-registered and the applicant passes a health and safety screening.
He said this in response to a query during question time by Nicholas Kudi (GPS-Baleh) during the Sarawak assembly sitting here yesterday on whether the Dayaks’ heirloom shotguns could be passed down to other relatives if the owner had no children or legal heirs.
Jefferson addressed Nicholas’ concerns and reiterated that the regulation specifies inheritance exclusively to children.
To a supplementary question, Jefferson said there were 45,568 shotgun owners in Sarawak, and this included 5,626 owners in Kapit division, where the Baleh constituency is located.
