Today an article appeared in the Philippine Star citing the Deputy Chief of Operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Gen. Jose Mabanta Jr., who stated that strict gun control can thwart a similar incident. Article is here: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=709708&publicationSubCategoryId=63

Our Reply:

Dear Gen. Mabanta,

Have you been to Basilan or Jolo, or Maguindanao, or the many other places in Mindanao? Or perhaps have you visited nearby Magallanes Cavite (just off Tagaytay road), and many other places such as Danao, Negros, . In case you haven’t, people in these areas openly carry pistols, assault rifles, and crew-served weapons, without being questioned or accosted by the AFP or the PNP. The persons doing this are terrorists, warlords and their henchmen, or plain and simple bandits or thugs.

Who is responsible for such situation to go unabated, is it us the legitimate and licensed gun owners? Or is the inability of the AFP and the PNP to enforce the laws and go after these thugs and terrorists? We already have laws against illegal possession and wielding of firearms, PD 1866, as amended by RA 8294. So how come these laws are not being ENFORCED by the AFP and the PNP as against these outlaws, terrorists, warlords and thugs who wield assault weapons and roam the countryside freely? What has the AFP done over the decades to disarm the provincial warlords, the MNLF/ MILF, Abu Sayaf, and NPA, who still roam the countryside with their weapons and terrorize the honest citizens?

The next question to ask is, where to do these outlaws, terrorists and warlords and their thugs get these weapons? You cannot buy recoilless rifles, bazookas, crew-served machine guns, and assault rifles in licensed gun stores. How about capturing some of these weapons used by the terrorists and warlords and tracing their serial numbers so we know where the weapons were sourced from, and publicizing the results? I think no one shall be surprised to find out that these weapons of terrorists and warlords and outlaws from the the AFP itself. So could you explain how come assault and crew-served weapons end up in the hands of the bad guys?

Lastly, the statistics of the PNP itself show that less than 1% of all crimes committed with firearms in the Philippines are committed by licensed guns. Licensed gun owners are therefore not the problem, and neither are we criminals. Perhaps if only the AFP and the PNP would simply do their jobs, then perhaps there would not be any need for civilians to have their own licensed firearms.

Yours truly,

PROGUN