Outlaws to benefit from total gun ban – Noy

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino rejected yesterday a total gun ban, saying private citizens would be put at risk if they are unable to defend themselves against criminals.

“I think a lot of us will agree with the basic premise that the outlaw will be one of the first groups that will say thank you for disarming law-abiding citizens because it will be much easier to victimize them,” he said.

“It sounds nice – total gun ban, but the total does not happen because the outlaw will not follow.”

Aquino, a known marksman with 26 registered firearms, said he was himself a victim of gun-related violence when military rebels nearly killed him in August 1987, when his mother Corazon Aquino was president.

“I think you will acknowledge that I was a victim of violence in this aspect in 1987 and both the Church and the law recognize my right to self defense,” he said.

“Self-defense is a skill and it’s a skill that has to be practiced. By definition, all of those who commit such crimes are called outlaws. So a law that seeks to reform the outlaws will not work, so you need a law that will sanction them further and prove as a deterrence.”

Aquino assured the public that government is doing its best to give justice to victims of crimes.

“I lead by example, by conforming with the law,” he said.

However, Aquino expressed openness to increasing the penalty for gun owners found to have violated gun possession rules.

“We are not just going after loose firearms, but we are also making sure that the privilege (to carry guns) is exercised appropriately,” he said.

“We want expired gun licenses renewed or surrendered. We want these not to fall into the hands of criminals.”

Aquino said police have arrested 64 people who have yielded some 249 varied firearms.

“I was a bit alarmed,” he said.

“If I’m not mistaken these figures were during the second quarter of 2012.”

Aquino said he has directed the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation to intensify the campaign against private armies.

“I was alarmed that there were seemingly too many people who are either local government officials or were former local government officials, or people intending to run, that were being killed, or shot at and wounded severely,” he said.

“We will not stop in our pursuit to go after these people who are outside of the law and get them before the bar of justice. There really is a dedicated effort to go after them.

“I think we have had notable successes in driving them away from areas where they operate and that does not mean that we’re stopping.

– With Edu Punay, Christina Mendez, Non Alquitran, Jun Elias