Church official wants gunless society

CEBU, Philippines - With the recent spate of killings in Cebu, Monsignor Esteban Binghay, the Episcopal vicar of the Archdiocese of Cebu, sees the need for a law on having a gunless society.

Binghay believes that the current setup is just so loose in controlling the possession of guns.

He added that the pillars of justice are also so slow in resolving cases and prosecution, which is why people tend to take the shortcut by killing criminals on their own.

He suggested that the civilians should not have guns and even the priests must not be exempted.

Binghay said there are many reasons why people would possess guns, among them protection from danger for those who have enemies and from being caught for the killers and robbers,

“Loose kaayo ang pag-control sa armas, ang pillars of justice nato kuwang sa pag-resolve sa pagsugpo aning butanga tungod sa pagkakuwang sa ebidensiya ug sa pagkadakop aning mga criminal, (Gun control is too slack and the pillars of justice lack in resolving these things due to lack of evidence and the arrest of the criminal,)” he added.

“Aduna gyud unta tay balaud ana, to have a gunless society. Piligro nga adunay armas ang katilingban. It is a symbol of offense and defense and in defending you will also have to offend. It is more danger, more risk, than protection,” Binghay said.

Binghay said that it will be one of the issues that will be tackled during the biennial meeting of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) next month. It will be the bishops who will urge the lawmakers to pass a law in stricter use and licensing of guns.

“Daghang tawo nga irresponsible. Ang uban makakuha lang ug license even without undergoing examination since there are authorities nga mo-dawat lang ug license fees kay suod man. Dili ta kasiguro sa kanang mga tagaan ug license. Mau nga ang mga obispo ang mo-urge sa atong mga lawmakers, (Many people are irresponsible. Some are able to get a license even without undergoing examination since there are authorities who merely accept license fees because they are friends. We cannot really be sure about all who are issued licenses, this is why the bishops will ask our lawmakers.) ” Binghay said.

However, licensed gun owners are against the suggestion since for them it is not only the gun that is the object in committing crimes.

Nimrod Quiñones, general manager of Alta Vista Golf  and Country Club, said that there are so many responsible gun owners compared to the irresponsible ones.

Quiñones suggested that instead of a gunless society, laws for gun ownership must be strengthened.

Authorities must also go after those people who have committed crimes. He pointed out that the crimes are not committed by licensed gun owners.

“I think what must be done is to strengthen the protection of the citizens from these lawless elements,” Quiñones said.

Lowell Belarmino, a shooting sport official, said that it will be okay if the people are living in a perfect world.

“If only if we are living in a perfect world, it’s alright to have a gunless society. The Church must continue preaching and convincing people not to do bad things,” Belarmino said.

However, Belarmino said that if people wanted to do bad things, the gun is not the only object used, some may use a knife or even a spoon.

“Even in the paradise called Eden, the devil snake used a fruit to tempt Eve to commit sin, what would have been needed? Apple-less society? Ban also the club and knife Cain used to kill his brother Abel?” he said.

Atty. Vicente Fernandez, a lawyer and a gun owner, said that a gunless society is not the solution because even if there is a gun ban, there are still many killings.

“The solution starts with law enforcement, make sure the criminals should be arrested. Ang mga police man gud kung dili masulbad, maghimo ug scapegoat, (If the police can’t solve it, they find a scapegoat.)” Fernandez said.

He added that policemen should be trained how to be effective in their work to have effective law enforcement.

At the same time, the licensing of firearms must also be encouraged so that when there will be crimes committed, the weapons used will be traced.

“By banning firearms, they are encouraging the proliferation of loose guns. Statistics would show, that criminals will not be prevented with the banning of guns, there are many other options,” he said. —/MIT (FREEMAN)