Last 3 March 2014 all PNP Civil Security group Satellite Offices in the various Regions of the Philippines were ordered closed and its personnel ordered to report to The firearms and Explosives Office at Camp Crame Quezon City, for duty. According to the PNP Memorandum, licensing and renwals of licenses shall now be centralized in Camp Crame Quezon City, and all lincesed gun owners will have to make the trip to personally appear to apply for and/or renew their gun licenses.
PROGUN strongly opposes such policy of personal appearance at Quezon City for all licensing and renawals of licenses. The Philippines is an archipelagic country composed of several thousands of islands over which one million five hundred thousand licensed gun owners reside and are scattered. Centralization of all licensing and renewals of gun licenses would require all of these licened gun owners to travel all the way to Camp Crame Quezon City to have their licenses renewed. This is clearly a substantial burden upon licensed gun owners who may not afford the cost of travel and who may not have the time to spare away from their jobs and businesses to make the long trip wither by plane or ship. In all other licensing such as drivers licenses and business permits, the application, processing, and approval is done by local regional offices.
Moreover, as experience has shown, whenever lincesing or permits is centralized in one office or person, which has sole discretion whether to grant applciations or not, there is potential for abuse and corruption.
The reason given by the PNP that a “substantial number” of the gun licenses are allegedly “dubious” or with false addresses, is an internal problem caused by the PNP personnel themselves who issued such licenses previously. If indeed there were problems with the identity and/or addresses of the licensed gun owners, still it was the PNP which had the lapse since it had the opportunity to properly screen the applicants for gun licenses and yet it failed to so so properly. In any case, the identity and addresses of gun owners could easily be verified by the PNP regional offices, which are closer and within the area of the gun owners.
While the PNP is stil currently in the process of trying to reinvent the wheel, and revamp the entire licensing process, hundreds of gun owners are in limbo and unable to renew their licenses. As complained, it is not that the gun owners do not want to renew their licenses, it is because the gun owners are not being allowed to renew their licenses. Under the law, an expired gun licensed reverts the gun to an unlicensed firearm which carries a criminal penalty for possesion thereof, which further complicates the problem.
The Philipine gun community is now galvanized and has denounced such policy as “draconian” and “marcosian” after the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. In any case, PROGUN is objecting to and fighting for the rectification of such erroneous policy.
totally agree!
how can such a law be allowed if it does not provide equal oppertunity for all people that this law governs.
agree again that the issues of false identifcations and addresses comes down to the incompetence of police – this is part of why we pay a lot to renew and process new licenses is so that the police can fund background checks … if the system cannot trust its own, how is that the fault of the people?
It is obvious that a lot the gun control issues stem directly or indirectly from government mishandling and corruption … so should not this law TARGET such agencies also, make it ever more harder for government to carry and own firearms unless government issues and on duty….which most police can buy pass by registering their private firearms with their UNIT’s and getting a M.O or P.O from their respective commanders…. how about us?
See, the way i see it, that laws are only good as those who enforce it – so if you have sway and influence in your area …. what police commander will tell you that you need to comply with the IRR RA 10591? .. what police officer will stop you at a check point if you have the OK from the local chief ? …
So knowing this shadow system, maybe the PNP should think of ways to win over UNLICENSED FIREARMS owners ..by making it cheaper, simple & convienient for people … all the issues that the police highlighted about how many loose firearms and how many fake registered names on the books only shows THE INCOMPETENCE OF THE PNP … they should have not used that as an excuse in the first place! …especially when you have approx 900 high powered assault rifles (government owned) unaccountable!! Especially when there is wiki-leaks document on the net suggesting that government officials and PNP high ranking officials were involved in illegal firearms deals with AUSTRIAN glock manufacturer!
If you implement a law, make sure the system is ready for it, you have good, researched explanations to the public as to why the PNP is “trying to reinvent the wheel” with firearm laws, and make the law favorable to law abidning citizens and not the criminals!
I am starting to hate these people. I have been a good citizen of my beloved country. I have been doing my part for about 20 years as a responsible gun owner. And for the failures which are not mine , they are going to punish me? Is it that our police is so corrupt that no police officers are to be trusted manning the satellite offices? Are they emplying that only those in Crame are good and others are bad? Is this their way of solving the spiralling gun related crimes ,by making enemies out of law abiding citizens. I hope the silent million licenced gun owners, their families and friends learn to select the right leaders this coming election.
I agree with jmax
Sir, can we make a petition to oust the current chief of PNP? where can I sign? thanks.
I love that! OUST the chief PNP.
Hehe PROGUN seeks to argue the issues, not the personalities. Nothing personal.
The PNP despite the issuance of the TRO are still manufacturing rules that are conter productive the the spirit of the new law that aims to curb the prolifiration of illegal firearms and related transactions that the gun law aims to irradicate. The PNP defacto IRR being implemented now are acts inimical to the order of the Supreme court since the PNP insist on personal appearance to Camp Crame when the regional offices can manage it. There are more fees added that will push peop[le to do illicit transactions. Too many fees and red tape is not good governance! It is promoting illegal transactions that the PNP cannot control.
The PNP despite the issuance of the TRO are still manufacturing rules that are conter productive the the spirit of the new law that aims to curb the prolifiration of illegal firearms and related transactions that the gun law aims to irradicate. The PNP defacto IRR being implemented now are acts inimical to the order of the Supreme court since the PNP insist on personal appearance to Camp Crame when the regional offices can manage it. There are more fees added that will push peop[le to do illicit trnasactions. Too many fees and red tape is not good governance! It is promoting illegal transactions that the PNP cannot control.