China's gun crime rate is among the lowest in the world, the Ministry of Public Security said on Thursday.

Last year, the number of reported gun-related crime was down by more than 80 percent compared with 2012, according to ministry data.

Crime related to explosives also fell by 60 percent over the same period.

The ministry and 23 other departments launched a campaign on Wednesday to further crack down on crime related to guns and explosives. It will last until December 2019 and aims to curb production, smuggling and online sales.

Although the number of crimes involving gun violence, including homicide, has dropped significantly, illegal gun smuggling and sales has increased, posing a major threat to public safety, said Dong Xiaogang, an official with the ministry's Criminal Investigation Bureau.