BEIJING - Chinese police have captured 212 people suspected of illegally manufacturing or trading guns since the beginning of 2015, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) announced on Saturday.

Police nationwide have also confiscated over 350 guns and 68,000 bullets, and crushed three gun trading rings in the same period, according to the MPS.

The MPS said gun trading crimes have become increasingly hard to detect, as the people involved often communicate in argot in online chat rooms, and disguise their online gun stores as hardware or toy shops.

The MPS vowed to keep cracking down on gun-related crime.

Individual ownership of guns is outlawed in China.