Make gun ban permanent

Elections are drawing near. Honestly, this fact is most likely going to hang over everything that happens from now until May. Work will continue as usual, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of big decisions and even major legislation does not push forward until the voting is done and the new set of public officials is in office. This is due to the uncertainty that mars this particular time. Businesses and politicians aren’t sure who is going to be elected and therefore can’t gauge if it’s going to be business as usual or if alarming or disruptive changes are coming.

Even legislation, or at the very least controversial legislation, is going to be slow from now until May. While the House will continue meeting about potential bills, politicians – especially those up for election – are going to be more cautious about what they vote on lest it ruin their chances for reelection. Along the same vein though they might jump at the chance to pass legislation that will make them look good in the eyes of the voters.

Businesses are going to be hesitant to make big decisions too. They rely on good government partnerships to operate at maximum capacity and new officials could potentially throw a wrench into what is currently a smooth operation. I wouldn’t be surprised if big changes or investments come in after May and not before. We can’t blame them – any more instability could produce a volatile Philippine market indeed.

Yes, things are going to be very tense and uncertain until the voters troop to the polls and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will be doing their best to diffuse the tension and keep everyone as safe as possible. This is why – as early as now, gun ban is once again in effect, essentially banning people from carrying a gun from now until the elections. In fact, even legitimate firearms carriers with a permit-to-carry (PTC) will require a special gun ban exemption from Comelec to take their weapons out of their homes.

I completely understand the importance of this rule – especially during election season. Politics has become big business in the Philippines and there are so many that would go to any lengths to hang on to their power. There have already been news stories of known political rivals getting gunned down in provinces all over the Philippines. And these are just the more popular politicians that we know of – imagine how many officials at lower levels potentially take out their competition permanently?

It’s a dangerous time in the Philippines and it’s usually when political seats of power are up for grabs that the country sometimes turns into the Wild Wild West. I talked about this in a previous column before a past election and my position then remains the same now as it did then. I am in favor of a gun ban lasting longer than just the election period. If you ask me, we would benefit from having a gun ban all year round.

After all, it’s no secret that violent crimes have increased dramatically since the current administration took office three years ago. Other than the massive number of people who have fallen during this bloody war on drugs, there have been so many gun related crimes like drive-by shootings, robberies, and more. It just seems that our country has gotten even less safe since 2016 despite all of the president’s promises of cleaning the streets.

All that being said, it’s a scary time for Filipinos. These days you can easily get shot in a simple traffic altercation by an irresponsible gun owner with a bad temper on a bad day. That doesn’t seem safe to me at all. Most gun owners claim they get the weapon for safety, but I highly doubt that is actually true anymore. It may have started off that way, but these days it seems a lot of people have guns to feel more “invincible” or “powerful” than they do to keep themselves “safe.”

Would a permanent gun ban really be so bad? Or at the very least better gun control. The Philippines is notorious for not keeping good records or updating them religiously. There are so many unregistered guns floating around that can’t be traced it’s almost ridiculous. It’s high time we do something more concrete and permanent to keep people safe. At the very least level the playing field.

Many people argue that if a person wants to commit a crime they will find a way to do so, no matter what obstacles are in their way. I agree that that is true to a certain extent – but does that mean we have to make it even easier for them? Stricter gun laws should be put in place and more discipline enforced when it comes to doling out licenses and keeping records. If we want to make people feel safer – I think a good first step is not giving out weapons as easily as if they were toys.

And that statement is true not just for the Philippines but for countries around the world too. I know the United States has a real gun control issue too and it’s not going to be one that is solved any time soon. I hope that it doesn’t take world leaders too long to see that the gun, and indeed weapon issue in general, is something that really needs to be addressed.

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In our country, it’s okay for weapons to be going around easily, but our politicians feel we need to do something about all the terrifying 9- and 12-year- olds in our midst. It’s ridiculous to say that a child as young as nine should be tried as a criminal and could potentially be sent to jail with adult criminals, but this is something the House feels is completely warranted. Does this make sense or is the government merely looking for scapegoats for their failing peace and order campaign? I really hope this doesn’t pass into law because we need to protect our children and help them instead of persecuting them.