Civilians will soon be allowed to own semi-automatic rifles following an amendment to the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Republic Act 10591, an official of the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Monday, March 4.
What the PNP is just waiting for is the publication of the amendment and ownership of the M14 rifles below will be available to civilians, according to Police Maj. Gen. Benjamin Silo, Jr. director of the Civil Security Group.
PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said that civilians can previously own high-powered firearms but with the passage of the RA 10591 in 2013, gun ownership was limited to low caliber firearms like handguns.
The law was passed in the bid to address the proliferation of loose firearms, especially that PNP data revealed that most crimes are perpetrated using guns. During that time, security officials estimated that there were 400,000 loose guns in the country.
Following its passage, there were security concerns raised and this prompted the PNP to create a Technical Working Group (TWG) to focus on the matter.
“We created a technical working group to study the possibility of amending some of the provisions that are inherent to the function and authority of the Chief PNP. So there were minor amendments made on the guidelines of the IRR,” said Fajardo.
“So now, private citizens who own a rifle, particularly the 7.62 caliber below with classification as semi-automatic, can now be registered. So this is the minor amendment,” she added.
Fajardo said the PNP has already submitted the amendment to the University of the Philippines Law Center for publication.
Dangerous?
Fajardo admitted that the danger of allowing civilians to own semi-automatic rifles was the main issue discussed by the TWG that the PNP created.
But eventually, responsible gun ownership prevailed and this led to the approval of the amendment on the part of the PNP.
“This was one of the issues that was studied by the TWG, that this might create a bigger problem if we will allow licensed private citizen to own a rifle that is semi-automatic, particularly 7.62 caliber and below,” said Fajardo.
“But what we are saying is that if a responsible individual is more than willing to register the firearm and get a license to own and possess firearms at license to register those particular firearms, they are willing to be regulated under the law,” she stressed.
Enforcement is the key
The amendment to the IRR which would pave the way for civilians to own semi-automatic rifles came amid recent cases of road rage wherein motorist would brandish their guns.
A former policeman for instance was bashed online after he loaded a gun in front of a bicycle rider over a case of road rage in Quezon City.
But Fajardo said that what the PNP is focusing on when it amended the IRR is the regulation of firearms.
“If we would see later that there would be abuses and that this amendment would be abused, then we will strictly enforce what is written in the amendment rules,” said Fajardo.