A leading firearms dealer stated last week that "Gun owners who have failed to get an LTOP (license to own and possess firearms) are simply lazy." 

Really? Well, maybe that scion of a famous gun selling family should examine the reality first to cure his ignorance. Out of 1.7 Million licensed firearms in the Philippines less than 20,000 have applied for and even less have obtained their LTOP. The truth being that Firearms owners have not been able to comply with the new LTOP requirement because of the difficulty in obatining the requirements (for which substantial clearances and payments in addition to the actual license fee have to be paid by the applicant), the ineptness, incomptence, and corruption of PNP Regional Offices in processing and forwarding firearms license applications, and the continued centralization of the firearms license applications in Camp Crame Quezon City (in defiance of a Temporary Restraining order issued by the Supreme Court last year), which makes it impossible for firearms owners from the different regions to apply for an LTOP.There is also the issue of Consitutionality of the LTOP. PROGUN has filed and has pending a petition in the SUpreme Court questioning the LTOP for being ex post facto since it applies RETROACTIVELY, and imposes a criminal offense to existing licensed gun owners who fail to comply. This issue is still being litigated in the Supreme Court. Continue Reading