MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Thursday strongly urged Congress to put stronger regulation into gun ownership to prevent further incidents of injury or killings caused by improper handling of firearms.
While there are millions of gun owners in the Philippines, Remulla pointed out that the law only provides very low culpability in case of mishandling firearms.
In the fatal school shooting in Tacloban, Leyte, the two minor suspects obtained guns from an aunt who is a member of the police force and a security guard. The two relentlessly shot at students killing three and injuring 20.
The police woman aunt of the 14-year-old suspect was already relieved from post and is set to face malversation and administrative sanctions for negligence, while the security agency may face the revocation of its license to operate for failing to report a lost firearm.
Remulla underscored that the responsibility of securing firearms rests on the adults to prevent young family members from gaining access to them. He also emphasized that gun ownership demands responsibility in its use especially in its safekeeping.
“I recommend to Congress that they rewrite the IRR of gun ownership and the responsibility of owning firearms. People have to be responsible gun owners or gun operators, people have to take accountability,” Remulla told reporters in a press briefing at Camp Crame.
“Sa nangyaring ito wala kaming macharge dahil bitin ang batas, kailangan may liability ang mga taong ito. Kailangan may criminal liability. Lahat ng may konsensya ng humawak ng baril ay responsable sa paghawak ng kanilang mga kagamitan,” Remulla said.
(In this incident, we can’t charge anyone because the law has frailty, these people have to have liability.)
