PRO-6 warns public vs carrying gun replicas

ILOILO CITY , Philippines  — No toy guns allowed during the Ati-Atihan and Dinagyang Festivals, according to the Police Regional Office-6 as it warned the public yesterday against carrying gun replicas in crowded places.

Chief Supt. Cipriano Querol, Jr., PRO-6 director, said: “While toy guns could not kill, it could cause panic, which may lead to injuries and even death.”

Querol explained that most people have difficulties identifying a toy gun from a real firearm. “If they see a person carrying a toy gun in areas of revelries, they might be alarmed and panicked thinking that he or she is carrying a real one,” he said.

The PRO6 Firearms and Explosives Unit will be inspecting stores in the city that sell gun replicas. “These toys [gun replicas] must be confiscated,” he said.