EDITORIAL – Irresponsible gun owners

A female staff sergeant of the Philippine National Police regional office in Eastern Visayas has been relieved and placed under restrictive custody while undergoing investigation.

This is in connection with her 9mm Glock service pistol, which her 14-year-old nephew used in the gun attack that killed three students and wounded at least 20 others last Monday at the San Jose National High School in Tacloban City. Probers said nearly 40 rounds were fired from the gun.

The boy, who is exempted from criminal prosecution under the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, reportedly learned to handle guns from his policewoman aunt. Why would an adult teach a 14-year-old how to fire a gun?

Not only the 9mm pistol but also the ammunition were apparently left lying around by the policewoman. The boy packed together with the pistol two extended magazines and knew how to reload the gun.

Meanwhile, the boy’s 15-year-old cohort in the shooting rampage used a .38-caliber revolver that reportedly belongs to his grandfather, a retired security guard. Police said the gun was fired only once; five bullets remained in the chamber. But the boy will face prosecution for three counts of murder and multiple counts of frustrated murder.

Guns kill and maim. Even a bullet fired into the air can cause death as it falls to the ground. Gun ownership is a privilege that carries heavy responsibilities.

Members of the uniformed services in particular along with private security guards should be fully aware of the risks in having their guns ending up in the wrong hands. If this happens, they may even face criminal prosecution as accomplices to a crime.

PNP officials said yesterday that the policewoman aunt of the 14-year-old shooter is facing summary dismissal proceedings. Criminal cases are also being eyed against her for possible violations of the Revised Penal Code for negligence or reckless imprudence, and Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.

Mothers of two of the three fatalities, who lamented the “unfairness” of seeing the shooter of the 9mm go unpunished because of his age, said the parents or adult relatives who taught the minors how to use guns and gave them access to the weapons should instead face punishment.

In a country awash with guns both registered and unlicensed, where a single individual can be authorized to own hundreds of firearms, the government must show that the lax policy is balanced with heavy punishment for irresponsibility in gun ownership.