As of 13 June 2013, the COMELEC gun ban was lifted. It was in force since 13 January 2013 within which period all licensed and legitimate gun owners were not allowed to carry their firearms outside of their residences, due to the election period. Both the COMELEC and the Philippine National Police have hailed this gun ban as having been “effective” and that crime rates and election violence went substantially down during the period. The PNP has even issued a statement, albeit falsely, that there were only 58 election related violence incidents during this gun ban period. We refuted these figures as being false and/or innacurate, insamuch as we had listed the correct figures of violent crime incidents during the gun ban period as being recorded as 2324 violent crime incidents in which there were 1189 injuries and 1862 fatalities during the gun ban period.
Nevertheless there are a number of trends and lessons that can be inferred from our criime statistics project for this comelec gun ban of 2013 which are:
1. The COMELEC gun ban is INEFFECTIVE in preventing or detering violent crimes and election related violence. During this period, election related and other violent crimes, continued unabated and the perpetrators were neither detered nor apprehended from committing these crimes. We have not heard also of anyone having been prosecuted and convicted of these crimes committed.
2. During the COMELEC gun ban period, common violent crimes continued. Hence, inspite of the gun ban, common crimes such as murder, homicide, robbery and theft, sexual assault, and injuries continued to be committed by common criminals.
3. Nearly the entirety or about 99.% of all the violent crimes committed during the COMELEC gun ban were committed by criminals, insurgents, and terrorists wielding UNLICENSED or loose firearms. In fact, we could hardly find a single violent crime committed during this period wherein a licensed firearm was used.
4. Whereas licensed gun owners obeyed the gun ban and kept their guns at home, the criminals, terrorists and insurgents did not and continued wielding their firearms and committing crimes against innocent civilians. Thus the criminals, terrorists, and insurgents were able to carry out their crimes with much more ease and practically no resistance from their victims.
5. Even with a gun ban in force, the police, military, and goevrnment are incapable of enforcing it.
6. Violent crimes that were committed during the gun ban period peaked during the election month of May.
There is another upcoming COMELEC imposed gun ban for the barangay elections from 28 September till 12 November 2013. Seemingly, people never learn, or refuse to learn, their lessons.
It’s time to ask for a TRO on this gun ban from the supreme court.
We understand that one of our allied organizations is going to question the upcming barangay gun ban in the Supreme Court. One of their grounds or basis is our gun ban crime statistics project, wherein it is clearly and statistically proven that the comelec gun ban is a failure.
Airguns and airsoft guns should also be excluded from the gun ban since under the new law RA 10591, airguns and airsoft guns are already EXCLUDED from the definition of “firearm”. This would be a good case to revisit the erroneous ruling of the SC in Atty. Arceo vs. Comelec, which was an ill conceived and improperly filed case.
We have also received numerous complaints and comments from gun stores who reported 65-75% losses from sales during the gun ban period. Also firing ranges also report a 100% loss during the same period, due to lack of clients.
It boggles the mind how short sighted our policy makers are in regard to the economic and national defense potential that a local arms industry would have for our country. If only they would realize that as per the PNP there are about 1.6 million licensed firearms owners. Owners that can maybe the consumers of their products and therefore provide the basis for a viable defense industry. If each and everyone of us bought a local firearm, would that not provide the impetus for local manufacturers to both increase capacity and research into improving quality and maybe even better firearms? Going further would these manufacturers then not be able to supply the arms needs of both the AFP and the PNP? Our leaders’ myopia only weakens our ability to defend not just ourselves. Sorry for the OT.
Yes I agree with your view. The Philippine has the potential to be one of the top small arms produccrs and exporters in the world. We make much better guns than Turkey or China. This could provide much needed jobs and foreign currency for our country. I understand that Armscor is now the No. 1 producer of 1911 pistols in the world, with two other local companies soon following suit. It’s just that our policy makers are anti-business and anti-Filipino. Instead of encouraging these industries to flourish and be competitive, they seem to want to stamp them out of business. Totally stupid and illogical, if you ask me.
I think this is one of the laws which were not implemented properly since there are still a lot of case incidents regarding this matter. There must be a heavier punishment for those who were found guilty to threaten all the illegal carriers and those who are still attempting to do so. Thanks for the explanation by the way! cebu dance party