A villager surnamed Ran surrendered a hand grenade to police in Ziyang county, Shaanxi province, Dec. 5, 2016. (Photo/Huashang Daily)

On Dec. 5, a villager surnamed Ran in the town of Dongmu in Shaanxi province surrendered to police a tool he had used to smash walnuts for 25 years. To police officers' surprise, the tool turned out to be a hand grenade. Although the detonation device of the grenade was missing, no one knew whether it was equipped with explosives, Huashang Daily reported on Dec. 19.

Ran was given the hand grenade when he worked in the town of Shuangqiao in 1991. The device's hard iron head made it a good tool for smashing walnuts. Ran has used this special utensil for 25 years. He didn't realize it was a hand grenade, which individuals are prohibited from possessing, until he received a leaflet describing the dangers of firearms and explosives. Police criticized Ran's possession of the hand grenade as reckless.