Gun owners slow to renew licenses

Few gun owners have availed of the year-long amnesty given by President Arroyo for them to renew their licenses, police said yesterday.

Senior Superintendent Danilo Maligalig, Philippine National Police Firearms and Explosives Division deputy chief, said of the 482,162 firearms with expired licenses, 216,007 or 44.08 percent are in Metro Manila.

Of this number, only 117, 700 are considered loose firearms and the target of the year-long amnesty that will end on Nov. 14, he added.

Maligalig said they have started a program that would require gun owners to renew their licenses as soon as possible.

As of June this year, FED statistics showed Metro Manila has the most number of firearms licenses at 517,341, and 216,007 have expired, he added.

Maligalig said Southern Tagalog placed second with 144,755 registered firearms, but 62,525 holders failed to renew their licenses.

Following at third place was Central Luzon with 87,248 firearms but 41,549 holders have expired licenses, he added.

In fourth place was Eastern Visayas with 54,113 registered firearms but 27,067 have expired licenses, while Central Visayas has 45,429 registered firearms with 24,234 expired licenses, he added.

Maligalig said of the total 1,081,074 firearms with licenses, 283,522 belonged to businessmen; 217,124 to security agencies; 172,414 to private employees; and only 134,000 to members of the Armed Forces, Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and Bureau of Fire Protection.

There were 104,950 firearms licensed to government officials and employees, while 42,084 firearms belonged to professionals, he added.

Elected officials, retired military and police, religious officials and members of the diplomatic corps also own licensed firearms, he added. – Cecille Suerte Felipe