Gun Owners Told: Register guns, join gun clubs

Philippine National Police (PNP) deputy chief for administration Deputy Director General Jesus Verzosa encouraged yesterday gun owners to register their unlicensed guns or renew expired licenses through the government’s gun amnesty program.

Verzosa, the PNP’s second highest official, is also batting for gun owners to join gun clubs, saying given proper support and training Filipinos can excel in this kind of sports.

“Filipinos can compete and be at par with other world class shooters,” he said during the first day of Trust Trade’s Mamang Pulis All-Glock Challenge held at the Camp Crame firing range.

Leading police and civilian shooters joined the five-stage three-day competition, which was kicked off by Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr., himself a gun enthusiast.

Verzosa said gun owners with expired licenses and unlicensed firearms should register their guns before the amnesty program ends this year.

He said this would boost the PNP’s campaign to account for loose firearms all over the country, estimated to be in the thousands, especially in conflict areas in Mindanao.

Verzosa also said PNP policies and procedures covering civilians who want to purchase and acquire firearms will remain “strictly enforced.”

Belmonte, on the other hand, emphasized safety and responsible gun ownership as he recounted a freak accident during a shooting practice with security personnel of the Government Service Insurance System at Camp Vicente Lim in Laguna years ago.

He said the guests were celebrating the promotion of an officer at that time, and he was handed a micro-Uzi pistol he was told to use in semi-automatic mode.

When he started firing, his shots went wild, sending people running for cover. One of the bullets shattered a bone in his left arm, Belmonte said. They later found out the gun had a defective firing mechanism.

“I was later told by my wife not to play with guns,” he said, referring to the late STAR publisher Betty Go-Belmonte, who rushed to the hospital upon finding out about the accident.

Belmonte urged policemen to be expert shooters and refrain from using their guns to show off.