Renew licenses, 44,000 firearm owners in Cebu, other parts of Visayas told

CEBU — Over 44,000 licensed firearm holders in Cebu and other parts of the Visayas have yet to renew their licenses to keep their guns, otherwise these would be considered "loose" weapons.

Records of the Firearms and Explosives Section of the Region 7 police show that out of the 65,000 licensed firearm holders in Eastern, Western and Central Visayas, only 20,000 have renewed their licenses.

Superintendent Rey Lyndon Lawas, chief of the Firearms and Explosives Division, said of the 44,000 who failed to renew their gun licenses, 22,000 are in Western Visayas, 12,000 in Cebu and other parts of the region and the rest in Eastern Visayas.

Lawas said his office will be sending letters to the concerned firearm holders to ask them to renew their licenses allowing them to possess or carry their guns outside of their residences.

As one way to convince the delinquent firearm holders to renew their gun licenses, the government has offered an amnesty for the surcharges. This means those who fail to renew their gun licenses for a period of time will not be required to pay fines.

Private individuals who wish to renew their expired gun licenses are only required to present their old firearm licenses, a proof of payment of the license fee from the Land Bank of the Philippines, a firearm’s bond and a gun safety seminar certificate.

The plastic ID-type firearm licenses can be claimed at the Firearms and Explosives Division of the Region 7 police after the licensed gun holders have complied with all the requirements. — Freeman News Service