Dy, Marcos seek amendment of gun laws after another school shooting

MANILA, Philippines — Both House of Representatives Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III and Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos have filed a bill that seeks to amend the country’s law regulating firearms and ammunition to ensure  safe ownership and use of guns, after another school shooting incident.

Dy in a statement on Friday said that he and Marcos filed House Bill No. 11387 which seeks to enforce changes to Republic Act No. 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act — a 2013 law that placed standards and rules on gun ownership, possession, registration, and prohibited acts.

The House leader said this after three students were confirmed dead while eight others were injured after a shooting incident inside Banga National High School in South Cotabato on Friday.

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READ: Marcos condemns, orders thorough probe into South Cotabato shooting

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“This latest tragedy reinforces our resolve to build safer and more caring schools for every Filipino child. As one of our immediate steps, I and Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander ‘Sandro’ Marcos filed House Bill No. 11387 to strengthen our laws and safeguards on gun ownership, safekeeping, and use,” Dy said.

“This is a concrete step that we believe is necessary to prevent minors and other unauthorized persons from gaining access to firearms,” he added.

Under the bill, several sections of R.A. No. 10591 will be amended, like Section 4, or the provision requiring safety seminars before gun ownership. According to the proposed amendments, applicants who want to own a gun must first complete gun safety seminars and a safe-storage course — meant to prevent minors from accessing firearms.

Section 9 of R.A. No. 10591 will also be given additional provisions, to lay down specific steps on how firearms must be stored in different circumstances:

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• when a firearm is not under the immediate control of an authorized person, it shall be stored in a secure storage device. as a rule, the firearm shall be unloaded and ammunition shall be secured in a separately locked compartment or container
• where a child or an unlicensed or unauthorized individual resides in, regularly visits, works in, or may reasonably gain access to the premises, the registered owner or accountable custodian shall use enhanced precautions, including preventing access to keys, combinations, credentials, or enrolled biometrics. hiding a firearm or orally instructing a child not to touch it does not
• firearm left temporarily in an unattended vehicle shall be unloaded, placed out of ordinary view in a locked container secured to the vehicle’s structure or in a separately locked trunk, and kept separate from ammunition. a glove compartment or center console alone is insufficient

Licenses and registrations will not be renewed if the gun owner has not completed a refresher course from the Philippine National Police (PNP) on safe-storage practices.

Moreover, the bill proposes stiff penalties for illegal activities:

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• knowingly selling, delivering, disposing of firearms, ammunition, to an unlicensed or unauthorized individual – prison correccional and a fine ranging from P300,000 to P600,000
• knowingly selling, delivering, disposing of firearms, ammunition, to an unlicensed or unauthorized individual, where the firearm is used in the commission of a crime – the person who sold, delivered, or disposed the firearm will suffer the same penalty as the person who committed the crime
• public officer or employee who knowingly transfers, lends, entrusts, or permits the unauthorized possession or use of a government-issued firearm – reclusion temporal and a fine ranging from P1 million to P2 million, dismissal from service, perpetual disqualification from office
• if the government-issued firearm transferred, lent, entrusted, or granted by a public office is used in a crime – a fine ranging from P2 million to P5 million and same penalty as the person who committed the crime
• registering a firearm through fraudulent means, misrepresentation – prison correccional and a fine ranging from P300,000 to P600,000

Dy said they will work with the Department of Education (DepEd) and other stakeholders in keeping schools safe.

“In Congress, we will work with DepEd, schools, parents, and other appropriate sectors to push for joint efforts needed — from safety in schools and responsible gun ownership, up to mental health support and immediate response to children in danger.  We will not stop until we cannot do all we can to prevent a repeat of this tragedy,” he said.

Dy said they are moving because the recent spate of school-related violence is alarming.

“This is deeply concerning and distressing because it is not an isolated incident. In recent months, there have been other shootings in or around schools involving students. This is a serious problem that we need to address immediately,” he said.

“We must take a hard look at how we can better protect our learners — not only through stronger school safety measures, but also by strengthening the values, support systems, and early interventions that can prevent violence in the first place,” he added.

Initial reports show that at least three students died — including the alleged gunman — while eight were wounded after the shooting incident inside Banga National High School.  The three students were rushed to a local hospital, but were declared dead upon arrival.

Several members of the House’s minority bloc have already expressed frustration over the recent gun attacks in schools, saying that there is a need to address the matter by ensuring reforms are implemented.

School-related violence has seen an uptick in the country over the recent months — with the incident in South Cotabato being the third gun attack inside campuses in less than four months.

Last June 22, three students were killed and five others were wounded when two suspects — who are minors and are students — opened fire inside the San Jose National High School campus in Tacloban City, Leyte.

Both suspects, a 14-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy, both of whom were Grade 9 students, were arrested on the same day.  A Glock pistol and a caliber .38 revolver were confiscated from them.

READ: Both suspects in Tacloban City school shooting arrested — police 

Then on Aug. 18, the Ateneo de Zamboanga University confirmed that two individuals — including the Grade 9 student tagged as the shooter — died after another shooting incident.

READ: Zamboanga City school shooting suspect dead — DILG 

Due to the incidents, several lawmakers and government officials have called for a social media ban for children, amid fears that unrestricted online access have influenced students to initiate shooting incidents.

There is a belief that the perpetrators in both incidents were supposedly exposed to violent content online or joined groups engaged in nihilistic violent extremist (NVE) behavior or senseless violence.

NVE is being looked at as an angle in the two school shooting incidents.

READ: House panel OKs total social media ban for children below 13 

On Sept. 7, the House committee on welfare of children approved a substitute bill the proposes a full social media ban for children below 13, and restrictions on the said technology’s use for those aged 13 to 18 as a means to shield young people from harmful content online. /das