Senate passes bill extending validity of gun licenses

MANILA, Philippines — Voting 20-0-0, the Senate passed last Monday on third and final reading yesterday a measure seeking to extend the validity of the license to possess firearms and ammunition from two years to five years.

Senate President Vicente Sotto II said the measure Senate Bill 1155 that seeks to amend Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act was approved with no negative vote or abstention.

The amendment includes extending the renewal of firearm registration from four years to five years as filed by Senate President Pro-tempore Ralph Recto and Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri.

“Failure to renew the registration of the firearm on or before the date of its expiration shall cause the revocation of the license. The said firearm shall be confiscated or forfeited in favor of the government after due process,” the bill read.

The committee report was prepared by the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs chaired by Sen. Ronald dela Rosa.

Dela Rosa said the measure further extends the validity of permit to carry firearms outside of residence from one year to two years “from the date of the approval of the application, unless sooner revoked or suspended.” 

In his sponsorship speech, he noted that a lack of practical renewal policies hinders gun owners from renewing their license because its “renewal means complying with voluminous documentary requirements and conditions.”

“In a country like ours, gun ownership is a privilege that is hidden behind numerous documentary requirements and countless conditions that must be met; then and only then can one avail of such privilege,” Dela Rosa said.

Using the data provided by the Firearms and Explosives Office of the Philippine National Police, he noted that before the enactment of Republic Act 10591 in 2013, the number of registered firearms was only 1,650,353. This eventually increased to 1,869,684 after the law’s enactment.

The data also showed that as of Aug. 31, at least 45 percent (837,758) of the registered firearms were not renewed. At least 7,073 were accounted as loose firearms.

“This is exactly why we say that a mere increase in the number of registered firearms upon the implementation of RA 10591 is not considered an achievement, especially when a sizeable number of the owners choose not to renew their licenses despite the possible risk of imprisonment,” said dela Rosa, a former PNP chief said.

 “To set the validity period of our firearms registration from four to five years is a practicable and obvious solution… In effect, we are not just extending the validity of our firearms licenses; we are, more fundamentally, extending our capacity to be responsible, our capacity to defend ourselves and those whom we love,” he added.

Dela Rosa said the extension would serve the people well if renewing their license to possess firearms comes at the same time as renewing the licenses of the firearms themselves.

“We are for the promotion of safety measures. We are for the protection of our people. But surely, and that is what this bill ensures, it would be better if it would not take a mountain of work for us to do so,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Senate also approved on third and final reading yesterday the bill creating the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

 For Sen. Grace Poe, chair of the committee on public service and author of the measure, the creation of the NTSB was long overdue, considering the transportation mishaps that have happened in the past that claimed innocent lives.

“With thorough, timely and substantial investigation, we will be able to prevent those accidents from happening again and give justice to the victims and their families,” she said.

Poe said Senate Bill 1077 or the proposed National Transportation Safety Board Act will create a board that will focus on investigating air, highway, railroad, pipeline and maritime accidents. It also gives the body 60 days to submit its report to Congress. The report will be used to appraise and assess existing practices and regulations related to safety measures.

“If investigations are conducted properly, I think there will be no more reports of plunging buses and sinking ships being kept in filing cabinets without any results or solutions,” she said.  – With Paolo Romero