Gun bill over gun ban

The gun debates are still smokin’! Gun control continues to be a hot issue not just in the United States, but also here in the Philippines with the series of highly publicized shooting incidents that continue to hog the news. Surprisingly, one of the voices which piped in early and whose comments seem to have resounded with many Filipinos is that of Sen. Tito Sotto. The man may have been under fire with his anti-reproductive health bill stance, but his take on gun ownership just made a lot of sense.

As correctly pointed out by Sotto, licensed gun owners during a gun ban will be deprived of their right to defend themselves.  Acknowledging that he’s a gun owner himself, the senator said that instead of a total gun ban, he would push for stricter regulation.

Apparently, this rally for strict gun regulation isn’t just a figment of anyone’s imagination since there is actually a proposed bill that has been passed on third reading in the Lower House back in 2011, which is unfortunately languishing in the Senate. This proposed legislation, Senate Bill 2993 authored by Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, is envisioned to “minimize, if not to totally eradicate gun violence in the country.” And how!

The current law has a maximum penalty of up to 12 years imprisonment and a fine of P30,000 to those who will be found guilty of illegal possession and manufacturing of firearms and ammunitions. With the proposed bill, the penalty extends to reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment. Many are also convinced that were the death penalty in effect, it would even be suggested as the ultimate punishment for murderous violators.

What we fail to understand is how a bill like this one seems to have been buried under the rubble. Should we wait for another New Year’s Eve stray bullet, a shooting rampage or a “shootout” for this bill to be deemed relevant and urgent? Senate Bill 2993, owing to Sen. Lacson’s forward thinking, explicitly states in its explanatory note that “with the 2013 elections just around the corner where gun related violence is expected to escalate, there is no doubt that there is an urgency to pass this bill into law.” And to think this was way back in 2011. Unfortunately, we are once again running against Filipino time and finding ourselves trying to make noise about this significant bill just months before the midterm elections. There goes the good intention.

No one doubts the noble intention of those advocating for a total gun ban, but this is like putting Band Aid on a festering wound. This country needs a tough, no-nonsense solution that would deal with arms smuggling, illegal possession and horror of horrors, illegal manufacturing of firearms and ammunitions (anyone familiar with Danao) which many believe happens right under the very noses of some politicians and law enforcement authorities.

The passage of the proposed Senate Bill 2993 bill will not only show the earnestness of this country’s law enforcement, but ultimately will put lawless characters behind bars. Now that’s as “daang matuwid” as it can get.

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