House passes bill amending gun laws

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives has passed on third and final reading a bill amending Republic Act 10591, which modernized key provisions of the country’s firearms laws.

Under the approved bill, gun bans are shortened from six months to only 45 days before elections and five days after the polls.

The limit on purchase of ammunition was raised from 50 to 500 rounds for non-sport shooters and up to 5,000 rounds for sport shooters.

Under the same bill, the permit to carry validity has been extended from two to five years, while the validity of firearms business licenses was also extended from five to 10 years.

Gun owners and manufacturers expressed their gratitude to legislators who supported reforms in the firearms laws, viewing it as a big win for the firearms industry and for all gun owners in the country.