IN the wake of several incidents involving licensed gun-holders who were accused of violating the law, I call on the PNP leadership particularly the Civil Security Group and the Firearms and Explosives Office to ensure that all gun-owners in the country are given profound lectures on Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulations Act of 2013.

I’m making this call amid findings that first-time buyers of licensed firearms in the country really don’t get to learn and study the law, making them prone to getting trouble in the streets. Consider this: new gun owners are only required to attend a Gun Safety Seminar designed to teach people with no experience in handling firearms on how to safely operate, fire and store them.

However, the seminar is not for free as most gun stores and gun clubs are requiring a P500 fee for each seminar participant, with validation not included. Gun dealers must really be making a ‘killing’ on this.

The basic rules are ‘always point the gun muzzle in a safe direction; never point a firearm at anyone or anything you don’t want to shoot; consider every gun as loaded; keep your finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot.

However, I doubt if any new gun buyer is getting a lecture on RA 10591 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations and other pertinent laws when it comes to gun usage from any of the gun stores in The Philippines.

I also doubt if gun-holders have memorized the rules written at the back of their Firearm Registration and/or the Permit-to-Carry-Firearms-Outside-of-Residence or do they have any idea on the over 40 sections of the IRR of RA 10591.

RA 10591 strictly says that all persons including members of the PNP, Armed Forces and other Law Enforcement Agencies in civilian attire are prohibited from displaying their firearms.

“The firearms must always be concealed; Violation of this provision shall be subject for immediate revocation of the License to Own and Possess Firearms and Firearm Registration,” the law says.

RA 10591 likewise say that the firearm must be secured inside a vehicle or a motorcycle compartment; must not be brought inside places of worship, public drinking and amusement places and all other commercial or public establishment; the PTCFOR must be carried together with the valid Memorandum Receipt/Mission Order/Letter Order as the case may be; and expired, revoked, canceled or nullified LTOFP and Firearm Registration will automatically invalidate the corresponding PTCFOR.

However, I have been privy to gross violations of the above-mentioned gun rules. Since the enactment of RA 10591, I still come across some gun-holders who violate many provisions of the law in order to tell other people that he has a gun, or completely scare others in the streets. This is the reason why there have been a number of police arrests regarding the matter.

During the late years of the Duterte administration, I was renewing my LTOFP at the PNP-CSG One-Stop-Shop in Camp Crame when an officer told me he was meeting a government official.

I watched when that official arrived with a coterie of bodyguards and some Filipino-Chinese companions and an officer introduced him to me. There’s no problem with the official as he grabbed a seat and took his neuro-psychiatric test.

The problem came when one of his Filipino-Chinese companions suddenly told me and some officers present that he really like guns. To prove his point, the boisterous guy suddenly pulled out a concealed expensive pistol from his waistline and showed the gun to us.

I informed the then PNP-CSG director, my friend, now retired Major General RJ Hinanay about that incident. He later ordered that from that day on, all persons entering the One-Stop-Shop must not be carrying a gun in his bag or worse, a gun tucked in his waistline. We also never saw that Filipino-Chinese guy again in Camp Crame.

On Monday, PNP chief, Gen. Benjie Acorda called anew on all licensed gun-holders in the country to fully comply with the provisions of the law to avoid being stripped of their privilege to own and possess firearms.

He also underscored the vital importance of responsible firearm ownership for all licensed citizens saying that the possession and ownership of firearms are not unrestricted privileges but rather earned rights that come with significant responsibilities.

For me who has been a responsible gun owner since the early 90s, responsible gun ownership means fully complying with all provisions of RA 10591 and its IRR as well as the Omnibus Election Code which include the ban on the unauthorized carrying of firearms in public during the gun ban period which started on Monday, August 28 and will end on November 29.

During the period, only members of the PNP, the AFP, and other law enforcement agencies conducting an actual performance of duties in their agency-prescribed uniform and agents of the Presidential Security Group guarding the First Family are exempted from the gun ban.

Since all PTCFORs have been suspended during the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan campaign period, licensed gun-holders are also barred from bringing their firearms outside their residence except if they are covered with gun ban exemption permit from the Comelec.

Gen. Acorda said that the PNP, in its capacity as a guardian of public safety, retains the prerogative to revoke LTOPFs and Firearm Registrations as well as PTCFORs in cases where grounds for revocation and cancellation are unequivocally present. He also emphasized that public safety is non-negotiable and responsible gun ownership is a cornerstone of that safety, thus the need to maintain the highest standards of firearm ownership.

The PNP chief issued the reminder as the PNP-FEO headed by Brigadier Gen. Kenneth Lucas revoked the LTOFP and Firearm Registration of a retired Quezon City policeman who was caught on video assaulting an unarmed cyclist and threatening the latter with his pistol near the Quezon City Welcome Rotunda last August 8.

“ Let this incident serve as a clear reminder that owning a firearm is a privilege that demands adherence to the law and the highest ethical standards. We urge all gun owners to reflect on their responsibilities and ensure that their actions consistently reflect the values of respect, accountability, and security,” the PNP chief said.

PNP-CSG director Brig. Gen. Benjie Silo announced the revocation of all gun permits issued to retired Q.C. cop Willy Gonzales after he was identified as the man on the viral Welcome Rotunda video. The FEO License Revocation and Restoration Board promptly nullified the LTOFP and the corresponding Firearms Registration issued to the accused following a review of the viral video.

The PTCFOR issued to the accused was also automatically revoked in the aftermath of the cancellation of his other gun permits. The PNP-FEO actions triggered the confiscation of the registered firearms of the lawbreaker. It’s really a sad development on the life of a veteran member of the QCPD Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit.

The gun permits of Gonzales were revoked after the PNP investigation showed that he drew and cocked his pistol and later pointed it toward the unarmed cyclist. In what has turned out to be a case of a road rage, the retired cop has learned the real lesson that the possession and ownership of firearms are not absolute rights but rather a privilege which applies even to a former cop like him.