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Gun ban should go with crime prevention

By Ace Esmeralda, VERA Files

A .45 caliber pistol like this one was used in the accidental shooting of Stephanie Nicole and in the rampage of Ronal Bae. Photo by SecurityMatters
The election period in the Philippines began Sunday and signalled the start of a nationwide total gun ban expected to minimize election-related offenses, particularly gun-related violence among political groups and clans.

For many, the gun ban brings some relief, especially since the country enters this period with heightened fear of gun-related violence.

The accidental death of 7-year-old Stephanie Nichole Ella in Caloocan City from a stray bullet fired on New Year’s Eve, to the killing of 10 people by an alleged mentally deranged and drug-crazed frustrated village politician in Kawit, Cavite a few days later have prompted calls for a total gun ban, gunless society, taking into the arena issues against gun ownership, regulation and control. Some quarters even associate gun crimes with President Benigno Aquino III’s passion for guns.


Yes, it’s quick and convenient to focus on gun control than to go over many other equally alarming social issues that might lead to the same bloody aftermath. Drugs, gangs, mental health issues and violence can always lead to a killing spree anytime. There are other crimes that contributed to the crime volume. But since our police data are rarely available and reliable, we just have to trust the statement of no less than President Aquino that the total crime volume went down in 2012.

If, indeed, the trend observed by the Philippine National Police is true, gun-related crimes shall likely drop sometime soon. In 2010, when gun ban was strictly imposed, the crime rate incidence fell by nearly 70 percent during the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2009. There are no verified official data that point to politicians as prone to use their protective weapons during election period. However, several politicians died from assassins’ bullets in 2012.

The 2013 Election Gun Ban, in particular, is anticipated to perform better in statistics being coupled with PNP’s police intervention operations. There’s the Oplan Katok program undertaken to recover firearms with unrenewed licenses. After all, police data revealed that 1.2 million of loose firearms accounted for 97.7 percent of gun-related offenses in 2009. Read again, almost all gun-related cases are perpetrated by loose firearms.

Now, does the success of the election gun ban, at least according to PNP data, merit the enforcement of a year-round total gun ban?

Lawless elements will not respect gun bans since they don’t use traceable licensed firearms. Photo by tomskydive
Lawless elements will not respect gun bans since they don’t use traceable licensed firearms.

The election gun ban practically prevents licensed and responsible gun owners from carrying their defensive weapons during the critical months of the election period. Is it the best way to say thanks to them when most of the time they’re not the ones involved in gun-related offenses?

Most likely, the politicians have been given exemptions already.

It is doubtful if an election gun ban type could have prevented the New Year’s Eve firing of guns or the rampage in Cavite. Revellers can still fire their weapons from their private areas and drug-crazed people will forget or disregard a gun ban.

Perhaps the actual implication of a successful Election Gun Ban is not necessarily the call for a total gun ban, but the call for active policing against gun-related offenses.

There’s no need to wait for the election period to actively enforce gun control laws. Most likely, police intervention operations may be integrated in regular policing functions. Or simply doing their job like in Oplan Katok.

Gun control laws are clear: “Illegal manufacture, sale, acquisition, disposition, or possession of firearms, ammunition, or instruments used or intended to be used in manufacture of firearms or ammunition” is deemed punishable by law.

However, the industry of illegal firearm distribution still thrives in the country. This includes the illegal trade of firearms and ammunitions either manufactured locally (in Danao City being the gun capital of the Philippines) or smuggled into the country to supply weapons to insurgents and private armed groups.

It also includes the illegal trade of firearms and ammunitions initiated by corrupt government officials from the police and the military hence the bulk of weapons found in the possession of the Ampatuans in Maguindanao and those in the hands of private armed groups.

Gun ownership laws clearly stipulate in black and white that possession of firearms and ammunition is not just a matter of paying fees at licensing offices. Filipino citizens of at least 21 years of age can obtain a license, provided they are of good moral character. And this is one of the law’s grey areas.

Apparently, Ronald Bae, the shooter who killed 10 people in Kawit, Cavite, passed the good moral character requirement and secured three firearms under his name. Bae, the son of a police officer, had an AK-47 automatic rifle, Elisco M-16 rifle and Sig Sauer.45 cal. semiautomatic pistol although during his shooting rampage he preferred to use an unregistered 1911 .45 cal. pistol.

There’s a high probability that mentally and psychologically unstable persons are prone to violent acts whatever sort of weapon happens to be at hand. Renowned Milwaukee psychiatrist Dr. H. Steven Moffic revealed, “Adding guns and knowing how to use them, to someone with apparent mental problems, surely increases the odds of something bad happening.” No wonder, they may end up causing death or injury to oneself or another.

It’s understood that sensationalism of gun control laws, a gun ban in particular, will ensue in the wake of several incidents of gun-related violence, but is the issue worth the heightened clamor?

According to the United Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Small Arms Survey published by Guardian News UK on “Gun Murders and Ownership” world list, there were 7,349 cases or 8.93 incidents per 100,000 population of homicide by firearm in the Philippines which accounted for 49.9 percent of murder fatalities. The Federal Bureau of Investigation revealed that there are more homicide cases caused by hammers, knives, fists and clubs than with the use of firearms in the United States.

In a country confronted by diverse criminalities, the government cannot afford to take chances on winning one battle and losing the rest especially when the use of guns is only an offshoot of more serious matters such as illegal drug trade, gambling, robbery, kidnapping, trafficking, extortion, insurgency, and rebellion. Criminals can always resort to other weapons.

Penal laws, as a matter of fact, virtually neglect the choice of weapon in committing crimes even though use of illegal firearms is taken as an aggravating circumstance. What’s for sure is that criminals aren’t likely to face additional charges for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. Consequently, it undermines the social policy on gun control.

Sooner or later the debate on gun laws will be overshadowed by another issue, but the sad reality remains that the demand for gun ownership will persist as long as social insecurity continuously haunts citizens. Unfortunately, social insecurity is embedded in countries dwelling with widening gap between the upper and lower classes of the society. When the country, despite its best efforts, fails to restore parity, people will likely be armed for a fighting chance to go up the ladder.

The perception that guns are increasing our country’s crime statistics is a manifestation of what we as a public know about guns and crimes. Gun control starts with enforcing what are in our existing laws and amending the regulatory weaknesses that nurture illegal distribution of firearms. The government and the public should focus more on crime prevention when taking into account the state of peace and order.

(Ace Esmeralda is a former Army officer and graduate of the Philippine Military Academy. He is a Certified Protection Professional of the ASIS International and asset protection consultant to several multinational corporations.)

(VERA Files is put out by veteran journalists taking a deeper look at current issues. Vera is Latin for “true.”)

Published in2013 electionsPeace and OrderVera Files

13 Comments

  1. vic vic

    Ellen, It is just impossible to have a Gun Ban when millions of Guns are already in possesion of Citizens and Guns are being continually made all over the world..they will find their ways EVERYWHERE. A sensible GUN CONTROL legislation will work…
    As per Capita of Gun ownership, Canada is in 8 th place in the world..we can have Firearms of any Caliber and in Any Quantity (within the law) for lawful purposes and anyone that meets the Requirement of the law can have the Privilege without Discrimination…there is no Fees to have them, no Registration for Long Guns and Shotguns except in the Province of Quebec who won the Court Rulings when the Long Gun Registry was killed 3 months ago along with 7 millions Long Guns records except Quebec..and no Renewal Requirements except for Renewal of Acquisition and Possession Every Five Years in Automatic mode again without Fee or sometimes with token Fees..(this is just to remind the gun owners if still interested to acquire an or possess oo not,Surender their firearms for Destruction)

    NOw to summarize the Gun Control as updated in l995 after the Judicial Inquiry Recommendations called after the MOntreal Massacre of 14 women…before than year…

    1. Mandated Firearms Safety course for applicant of Firearms Acquisition Permits…

    2..Background checks of all applicants, including mental Fitness and checks with current and past Relationships, Co workers, neighbours and if denied be informed of the reasons and available relief in law..

    3..Mandatory SAFE STRORAGE guarantee for all firearms and ammunition and Gun Powders (we Load our own ammunition mostly by the thousands and guarantee of no other individual access except the authorized owners…

    4. Maximum Limits of Magazine Capacity of 5 rounds for Rifles except for .22 rimfires with unrestricted magazines and 10 rounds for all Handguns…Police Officers are exempted…

    5. All Firearms will be Disabled (means of disabling are by locking the firing mechanism, dismantling the firing mechanism) stored in a lock container, lock and should be place in car not visible to View…and be enable only in place of lawful use…

    6. Firearms should be in Ssfe Storage all the Time unless being cleaned or out for Transport or for any other justified reason…(remember when at home, Self Defense use of Firearms is self Defense, but has to be proven in the court of law and if not justified as self defense, then BIG TROUBLE)…

    7. lastly, no Civilian is authorized to Carry Firearms as Weapon…the only personnel Authorized to Carry Firarms in performance of their duties are a. Police Officers…b. Armour carrier Guards..c. Conservation Officers (for protection against wild games and poachers) d. soldiers on Training and on Missions) Immingration Officers and Custom Officers are not authorized to Carry Firearms…Court officers are likewise not authorized to carry firearms and so all Security Guards..they may carry non-lethal weapons like Taser guns or pepper Spray…Estimated guns on the homes and in Civilians ownership in Canada with the population of 32 millions is somewhere in the the 10 millions…that is a lot of Firearms but the last known reported Gun Related homicide for 2011 is among the lowest at 16l…

  2. vic vic

    By the way, even our Registered handguns were not taken any Ballistic records, but just the SN number and all parts except the part which bears the SN(except in very rare case, it is the Frame of the Pistol) are changeable…so the barrel, the firing pin and just about every part can be purchased without any restriction and that will throw the Ballistics on Records if the Registered firearms is used for Crimes…that is the reasons why with Millions of handguns in Registration the RCMP do not bother to get a sampling of Fired cases of Slugs…The Mounties will always get their man some other means..and that socalled ballistic will not be soo much help at all if the criminal think of just replacing the parts and putting the old parts back again…Parrafin test? just tell the Cops been shooting every night or day…the CCTV at the club will bear me out.

  3. from my observation, the only people who have guns in the philippines are the rich and powerful (eg politicians), law enforcement and the bad guys.

    good luck denying politicians their weapons. and the sad reality is, they need armed protection because they are targets.

    and no, i don’t want to disarm law enforcment. just get rid of the undisciplined ones.

    instead of stricter gun control, i prefer raising the punishment for killing or harming somebody with a gun.

  4. manuelbuencamino manuelbuencamino

    Gun lovers always describe themselves as responsible and only need guns because the police is not always around to protect law-abiding citizens from lawless elements.

    So those NBI agents who got drunk and shot each other, are they responsible gun owners? I guess most of the time they are…except when they get drunk, right?

    So let’s go now to the private law abiding citizen with a licensed gun. He never drinks, he never loses his temper?

    Guns have no other purpose except to kill or maim. Why allow private individuals to have them?

    Law enforcement officers and soldiers are the only ones who should possess firearms. Everybody else will have to make do with knives, clubs, or fists.

  5. vic vic

    @ at 4 I fully agree with but can it be done? Now even Soldiers are not allowed and Cops in our Case are not authorized to carry their weapons off Duty and be Left in their Armoury or police Stations.. But Civilians are not in anyway being Denied the Privilege of owning and possessing Foreamrs. Related Firearms death is less than 200 average in a population of 32 Millions and an average of 600 homicides..most firearms are used for hunting (9 to 10 millions Long Guns) and close to one Million Handguns mostly for sport shootings and collection and some In the Hand of Criminals for their Criminal Activities. There is no Personal Carry allowed in Public, Concealed or Open.

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