Feature Story | 1,746 Nuts and a Ten-Year Prison Sentence: The Rashomon Case of Firearm Parts at a Nantong Hardware Factory (AI Translation)
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文｜财新 康佳
By Kang Jia, Caixin
【财新网】5月中旬，马建、马晓强父子来到广东省珠海市金湾区法院，参加涉嫌非法制造、买卖枪支案的开庭审理。儿子马晓强在被告席，马建则作为证人出庭。
[Caixin.com] In mid-May, Ma Jian and his son Ma Xiaoqiang arrived at the Jinwan District Court in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, to attend the trial of a case involving alleged illegal manufacture and sale of firearms. The son, Ma Xiaoqiang, took his place in the defendant's seat, while Ma Jian appeared in court as a witness.
父子二人来自江苏南通，一起经营南通市通州区科阳金属制品厂（下称“科阳厂”），生产销售五金产品。2022年6月24日，珠海警方分别在南通、青岛两地将二人带走，并在工厂仓库内查获一批金属螺母。经警方鉴定，其中至少1746个为枪支散件。
A father and son from Nantong, Jiangsu, jointly operate the Keyang Metal Products Factory in Tongzhou District, Nantong City (hereinafter referred to as "Keyang Factory"), which manufactures and sells hardware products. On June 24, 2022, police in Zhuhai detained the two men in Nantong and Qingdao, respectively, and discovered a batch of metal nuts in the factory warehouse. According to police assessments, at least 1,746 of these were identified as firearm components.
之后，科阳厂法定代表人马建获不起诉处理。主要负责经营、调试生产螺母的马晓强则因涉嫌非法制造、买卖枪支罪，被提起公诉。
Subsequently, Ma Jian, the legal representative of Keyang Factory, was not prosecuted. However, Ma Xiaoqiang, who was primarily responsible for the operation and adjustment of nut production, was indicted on suspicion of illegally manufacturing and trafficking firearms.
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- Ma Xiaoqiang, operator of a small hardware factory in Nantong, was prosecuted for allegedly illegally manufacturing and selling 1,746 suspected firearm components (barrel nuts) used in AR15 rifles.
- Expert opinions from two institutes disagreed on whether the parts constituted firearm components, impacting the legal classification and severity of charges (potentially 10+ years imprisonment).
- Many buyers were toy gun dealers, and some purchasers and industry practitioners were not investigated, highlighting regulatory ambiguity in firearm parts enforcement.
In mid-May 2025, Ma Jian and his son Ma Xiaoqiang attended court in Jinwan District, Zhuhai, Guangdong, for a trial involving alleged illegal manufacturing and trading of firearm parts. Ma Xiaoqiang was the defendant; Ma Jian appeared as a witness. The two hail from Nantong, Jiangsu, where they operate the Keyang Metal Products Factory, focusing on hardware production. In June 2022, local police detained both and found nearly 2,000 metal nuts in their warehouse, with 1,746 identified by police as firearm parts. Ma Jian was later not prosecuted, but Ma Xiaoqiang faced charges due to his involvement in the production and sale of the parts. The prosecutors recommended a prison sentence of 10 to 11 years, alleging that Ma Xiaoqiang intentionally manufactured and sold gun parts. The defense argued for his acquittal, claiming insufficient evidence and compliance with legal limits. The court did not make an immediate verdict. [para. 1]
Keyang Factory is a small business in Nantong that produces various metal components per customer order, sometimes relating to firearm or toy gun accessories, which is common in the district. The region is a global leader in producing sighting devices for guns. Ma Xiaoqiang admitted to manufacturing products like slings and mounts that could be used on both real and toy guns but said these were within the police’s allowed scope. The issue arose when a customer, Chen Pan, involved in toy water bullet gun sales, requested custom metal "iron head" nuts. Manufacturing these nuts was a straightforward metalwork process. Chen Pan and other clients obtained these nuts for both real and toy guns via Alibaba and WeChat, at about 10 yuan each. Local police regularly checked such businesses, updating them on what was legally permissible to manufacture. [para. 2][para. 3]
Legal ambiguity over what constitutes a gun part has been a persistent issue in Jiangsu. In 2014, provincial police sought clarification from the Ministry of Public Security, which specified 35 major gun parts requiring a manufacturing license. Just before Ma Jian and Ma Xiaoqiang were arrested, local authorities distributed an illustrated manual of AR-15 parts to factories, clearly banning production of primary gun components, but some parts, including the nuts in question, were not explicitly listed. As a result, Ma Xiaoqiang believed his actions were within legal bounds. The police, however, argued these nuts matched AR-15 gun barrel nuts and should be classified as gun parts, despite significant differences in appearance. [para. 4][para. 5]
During the trial, expert opinions on whether the "iron head" nuts were key firearm components differed; Zhuhai’s forensics team asserted they served critical gun functions, while a Southwest University of Political Science and Law expert stated they were auxiliary connectors and not major gun parts. Both agreed such nuts could be used in toy guns as well. During a police test, the parts could be used to assemble a real firearm, but the installation was not always smooth, which raised further defense doubts about whether they should be classified as gun parts. [para. 6][para. 7]
The prosecution connected Ma Xiaoqiang’s case to a larger national crackdown on firearm parts in June 2022, implicating other clients in similar cases. Some customers, including those specializing in toys, were not prosecuted even though they purchased identical goods. The defense argued this indicated authorities recognized the multi-purpose nature of the components and questioned the fairness of selective prosecution. [para. 8][para. 9]
Under Chinese law, manufacturing or selling sets of firearm components can result in severe sentences. The prosecution argued that with 1,746 pieces judged as gun parts and evidence that Ma Xiaoqiang knew they could be used in firearms, he ought to be severely punished as per the relevant judicial interpretation. Sentencing was pending at the time of report. [para. 10][para. 11]
- Nantong Tongzhou District Keyang Metal Products Factory
- Nantong Tongzhou District Keyang Metal Products Factory, co-managed by Ma Jian and his son Ma Xiaoqiang, is based in Jiangsu, China, specializing in hardware products. The factory came under scrutiny when 1,746 metal nuts were identified as gun parts by police, leading to Ma Xiaoqiang's prosecution for illegal manufacturing and trading of firearms.
- Shanghai Banalansi International Trade Co., Ltd.
- Shanghai Banalansi International Trade Co., Ltd. (巴澜斯公司) is presented in the article as a company whose name Ma Xiaoqiang used to register an online store on Alibaba. The prosecution claims Ma Xiaoqiang accepted orders for AR15 rifle barrel nuts through this company's Alibaba platform and WeChat. The company also had dealings with Zheng Jinghuan, who ordered tactical straps and metal buckles.
- Yiwu Bolan Import and Export Co., Ltd.
- Yiwu Bolan Import and Export Co., Ltd. is a company whose head, Ye Wentao, was accused by the prosecuting authorities of purchasing and selling AR15 firearm accessories through websites and QQ since 2017. Authorities seized 3828 suspected firearm accessories, of which 3156 were identified as firearm components.
- Before June 24, 2022：
- The local police station in Tongzhou District held a special meeting with local manufacturers, distributing schematics and technical descriptions of AR-15 components and reiterating the prohibition on making primary firearm components.
- June 24, 2022：
- Zhuhai police detained Ma Jian and Ma Xiaoqiang in Nantong and Qingdao, discovering 1,977 metal nuts in the warehouse of Keyang Factory, of which 1,746 were later identified as firearm components.
- October 2022：
- Zhuhai police and the Zhuhai Forensic Identification Center conducted compatibility and firing tests of nuts at a licensed company, concluding that barrel nuts could secure the barrel and allow the firearm to chamber and fire.
- March 31, 2023：
- Ma Xiaoqiang was released on bail pending trial.
- June 2023：
- The Jinwan District People's Procuratorate in Zhuhai formally charged Ma Xiaoqiang with illegal manufacturing and trafficking of firearms after the case was twice sent back for further investigation.
- October 2023：
- Jinwan District prosecutor's office determined there was insufficient evidence to indict Ma Jian and decided not to prosecute him.
- Mid-May 2025：
- Ma Jian and his son Ma Xiaoqiang attended the court trial at Jinwan District Court in Zhuhai related to the alleged illegal manufacture and sale of firearms.
- May 15 to 16, 2025：
- The court in Zhuhai heard Ma Xiaoqiang's case, with arguments over whether the seized nuts constituted firearm components; no verdict was issued at the hearing.
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