Violent crimes push Filipinos to buy guns

Lawyer Johnmuel Mendoza vividly recalls the day his gun saved his life.

He was sitting in his pick-up truck in a Manila suburb when a deranged man appeared out of nowhere and started attacking his car with a metal pipe.

"As he was about to smash my windshield I took out my gun and told him to stop," Mendoza recalls.

At the sight of the gun the man came to his senses, dropped the pipe and fled.

Today, Mendoza uses the lessons of that incident as president of PROGUN, perhaps the only organization in Asia fighting for the right of private citizens to own guns.

The fear of being mugged, raped or murdered in a country with an annual murder rate approaching 10,000 and where violent crime is endemic has seen thousands of Filipinos seeking to arm themselves for protection.

PROGUN, which stands for "Peaceful Responsible Owners of Guns," is the organization that tries to assure they can legally get those guns.

Thousands of people descended on a recent gun show in Manila, looking for an edge in the game of survival being played out in the urban jungle that is the Philippine capital.

They ogled, handled and peered into the crosshairs of the products on display — revolvers, pistols and shotguns, both locally-made and imported, with an emphasis on weapons for self-defense rather than hunting or sport.

The stars of the show were a locally made shotgun designed to look like a shortened assault rifle, along with various handguns that are small enough to hide in a pocket.

PROGUN looks to the US firearms rights group, the National Rifle Association (NRA) as a model but its officers know they do not have the resources, the political clout or the legal grounds enjoyed by the US lobby powerhouse.

Mendoza concedes that "getting a firearms license is not a right, it is a privilege" in the Philippines whose constitution, unlike the US, does not guarantee the right to bear arms.

Instead, the law only allows qualified Filipinos to own shotguns, caliber .22 rifles and certain types of handguns — and only if they comply with numerous requirements for a firearms license.

This includes taking a drug test, getting approvals from various law-enforcement agencies and submitting documents showing they are gainfully employed. They also have to shell out 4,000 pesos (77.10 dollars) in fees, which excludes the cost of the firearm.

Even then, the gun owner is not allowed to take his firearm outside. It requires another permit — with more fees — just to take it to the firing range for practice shooting.

Loose firearms

Despite all the obstacles and expense, many Filipinos still seek to own guns, partly for the macho image they exude but also because they feel they need the protection in a country where violent crime is a serious threat.

In recent months, activists, journalists, lawyers, judges and even politicians have been gunned down in the streets. Many of these crimes go unpunished by a police force that is considered too poorly equipped to deter crime or in some cases, even in cahoots with criminals.

For the first half of 2006, police statistics show there were 4,894 killings, 6,309 physical injuries inflicted in attacks, 1,352 rapes and 3,770 armed robberies reported nationwide. Officials concede that there are many other crimes that simply go unreported.

Sources at the national police Firearms and Explosives Division say there are 100,000 "loose" or unlicensed firearms in the Philippines.

Some are in the hands of criminals or communist rebels, but many are also held by ordinary citizens who refuse to put up with the expense and bother of licensing them, the sources said.

In contrast, there are about 900,000 licensed or authorized firearms including those issued to security forces.

PROGUN, founded in 1987 as a non-political citizen’s group, has been pushing to make it easier for citizens to own and carry guns, arguing that if licensing was cheaper and more convenient, there would be less "loose firearms."

Most of its funding comes from its members with occasional contributions from benefactors like firearms dealers.

Although it has few allies in the legislature, PROGUN does not take an antagonistic attitude towards the government or the police who are in charge of issuing licenses.

The organization has sponsored gun-safety and familiarization seminars and worked with anti-crime groups as well as with the heads of the national police to ensure that firearms are not used improperly and to get a wider voice in the public debate. — AFP