The rise in armed robberies resulted in legislative concern about falling standards of public security. This provided an opportunity for an advocate of the death penalty to introduce debate on the topic. Early in the debate, however, an amendment was put forward that called for abolishing the death penalty. The irony was that the vote to abolish the death penalty was put in motion by legislative reactions to the rise in serious, violent, and firearm-related offenses. Because Hong Kong ceased to be a British colony and instead became a Special Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China in July 1997, the death penalty may be reintroduced since China favors capital punishment. Nonetheless, because the symbolic role of the death penalty was dramatically changed during the course of its abolition, any attempt to reintroduce it may have to contend with highly negative public attitudes. 10 notes, and 2 tables