Rody: No gun goes to state enemies

DAVAO CITY – President Duterte is set to issue an order that would tighten regulations on ownership and purchase of guns and ensuring they do not fall into the wrong hands.

Duterte said he is waiting for Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Eduardo Año to assume his post as secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) before issuing the guidance on checking out the sale and purchase of firearms.

Duterte wants Año to retire early and assume the DILG post in June.

“The new DILG secretary will be Año. From there, I would provide him the guidance on how to check it out that no firearms would ever, ever land in the hands of an enemy of the state,” Duterte told the participants of a gun show hosted by the Association of Firearms and Ammunition Dealers of the Philippines Inc. at the SMX Convention Center here.

The President stressed the government should improve the regulations regarding ownership of high-powered firearms and put in place measures to prevent these weapons from ending up in the hands of criminals and rebels.

The President said he is planning to create an agency with the sole purpose of regulating the sale and ownership of firearms.

Duterte said he knows of several cases of weapons and firearms sold by gun dealers that are now in the possession of communist rebels and criminals. He said the communists have the financial means to purchase high-powered guns from local dealers.

“The communist rebels are earning money through extortion from mining companies and large plantation owners. They have the money, so we have to control. If they wanted to buy firearms, make sure to identify them and I would create an office (to check them out),” Duterte said.

Duterte told the gun dealers to advise their clients that they have to work on the documentation allowing them to buy firearms and ammunition and submit them early to get their orders on time.

He also stressed civilians should not be allowed to purchase high-powered firearms.

Duterte said security guards should not also be allowed to own firearms as a rule.

“They can be equipped with shotguns to defend themselves,” he said.

Duterte said he has been opposed to arming security guards with high caliber firearms, particu- larly those who are assigned to remote areas on the possibility of the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels seizing them.

Duterte stressed the need to revise the rules on the purchase of firearms and ammunition but these should not affect gun industry.

“So that we can come up with reasonable ground rules so we can allow you make profit, that you can do business as usual. But never, never give the advantage to the other side because I will not, I will not allow it. Because first and foremost maybe is to serve you but then my endeavor always and always will be the protection of the country,” he told the gun show participants.

Duterte said also bared plans to buy Glock pistols for off-duty troops.

“The soldiers could not be carrying long firearms. So, they could use Glock,” he said.