Expedient gun license acquisition

All bona fide responsible gun owners and bona fide enthusiasts will be saddened to know that this year’s much-awaited event, the AFAD Gun Show will not happen.

I was particularly sad to learn of the organizers’ decision to cancel this annual event that has never failed to draw tens of thousands of visitors to the trade show in the hope of learning more about the latest technology in firearms, ammunitions and related products and perhaps availing of the great discounts that manufacturers and importers give exclusively for the four-day event only. But what else can the organizers do?  The cumbersome procedure of acquiring a gun license is enough to deter many from joining the endless queues at the local barangay office, NBI, PNP, Metropolitan Trial Court and the Firearms and Explosives Division of the PNP to get all the necessary clearances to renew one’s license.  Unfortunately for some but welcome for many responsible licensed firearms owners like us, there is simply no other option but to comply with the strict requirements because expiration of our licenses could also ultimately lead to revocation of the license and eventually to non-eligibility to acquire a license in the future. I suspect though that many licenses will lapse this year -- then they can join the ranks of hoodlums and criminals.

Though I bravely hurdled all the tests and queued for several days at the above-mentioned government offices, effectively throwing a monkey wrench into my tight work schedule, it was still a breath of good news that the Armscor Group of Companies shared with this writer when I got my invite for the 14th Bolo Tuason Cup.  For the duration of this prestigious event which draws the country’s top competitors from all corners of the archipelago, that is July 24–27, 2014, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Armscor Shooting Range in Marikina, the event’s organizers and management of Armscor, in cooperation with the Philippine National Police, have set up a satellite station to facilitate the application for a gun license. No, it is not exactly a one-stop-shop for licenses, but with the convenience and proximity the site affords approximates this, according to Ms. Gina Angangco, one of the top guns of Armscor, who gladly shared this information with us.

Briefly now, here are the services that can be availed of at the site:

1. Neuro Test – P900 (with 20-percent senior citizens’ discount); Drug Test – P300; Biometrics – P200; Gun Safety Seminar – P1,000 inclusive of P360 to PNP and P135 to NBI.  Note that NBI is available only on July 24.

2. Additional services on site: photocopy, ID photo, notary, Community Tax Certificate

How to go about it (sequence):

 1. Upon entering the Armscor premises, turn over firearms to the security office.

2. Proceed to information counter to register, get a checklist of requirements and consult PNP personnel if needed.

3. Proceed to the PNP Finance Service Table and pay for the service of your choice in any order.  Get the Official Receipt for any service availed from the PNP.  (For the balance of the gun safety seminar, Team Armscor Gun Club will issue a receipt. For matters related to the National Bureau of Investigation, the NBI will issue its own receipt.)

4. Proceed to the designated area of the service of your choice in any order.

5. Read signs on when the test results/clearance will be ready and where it can be claimed. Neuro tests may take three hours, followed by an actual interview.  This test is given as the applicants enter the room.

6. Gun safety seminar will be held at the Armscor Shooting Range multipurpose room twice a day.  First batch is from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. followed by Marksmanship at the range, while the second batch will be from 1 p.m. to 3  p.m. followed by Marksmanship.

7. Barangay, Mayor and Court clearances are not available at the site.  Note that these are not requirements to take the neuro and drug test as well as the gun safety seminar.

For the License To Own and Possess Firearm (LTOPF) requirements and application forms, you may check the website www.fed.org.ph and download three copies of the forms. It is important to bring eight (8) ID pictures (2x2) and government IDs such as passport, voter’s ID, and of course don’t forget to bring your own pen.

Those with complete requirements can have the LTOPF processed immediately.  Complete requirements include clearances and not just proof of payment that the tests were taken.  Please remember that in applying for the LTOPF, please choose the type of license based on the number of firearms you intend to own and determine if you want to be classified as a sports shooter so you can avail of the privileges granted under the law.

Juridical representatives (like security agencies for instance) may avail of these services to secure the LTOPF-Juridical.

Remember that a license to own and possess firearms is necessary to purchase a firearm or register an existing firearm. A person who has a current firearm license valid for more than six months now does not need to secure an LTOPF immediately.  What is important though is to secure an LTOPF just before the current license expires so that the firearm can be registered.  Remember that under the new gun laws, it is the person who is licensed and not the firearm.

And finally, the NBI clearance is not needed for the LTOPF.  It is only necessary to secure a Permit to Carry Firearm Outside of Residence (PTCFOR).

I hope you got all that right.  It may seem like a lot to chew on at one reading, but believe me, the LTOPF Assistance Program at Armscor in Marikina is hassle-free and may actually save you a lot of time and aggravation.  Snacks, supplies and forms are available at the site for sale, and the proceeds will go to the Biglang Awa at Tanglaw sa mga Angel (BATA) Foundation, an orphanage that currently has seventeen (17) girls located at the Armscor premises.

Mabuhay!!! Be proud to be a Filipino.

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