Monday’s school shooting in the Philippines that killed three students and injured dozens has highlighted the decades-long problem of gun proliferation in the country, easy access to weapons despite theoretically strict laws – and Filipinos’ fascination with firearms.
One shocking issue that emerged after videos of the shooting were posted online was the quantity of bullets fired and the teenaged shooters’ seeming familiarity with weapons. Officers recovered 21 fired cartridge cases, seven lead fragments of fired bullets, 13 cartridges, two deformed fired bullets, three fired bullets, one empty magazine and one misfired cartridge, the Philippine National Police (PNP) told This Week in Asia on Friday.
In a press briefing on Monday, PNP spokesman Police Colonel Allen Rae Co, said a 9mm pistol was recovered from the 14-year-old suspect while a .38 calibre revolver was taken from the 15-year-old. Co said the revolver had been traced to a security agency all the way in Cebu City, some 240km (150 miles) from Tacloban.
Philippine authorities have tried to rein in gun proliferation in recent years. In 2013, Congress – many of whose members purportedly have large gun collections – approved a new law restricting gun ownership. Then president Benigno Aquino III, himself a gun enthusiast, signed Republic Act 10591.
Lawmakers and gun owners hailed RA10591 as the most restrictive law the country has ever had on gun ownership, although it clearly states that a Type 5 licence can be issued to “a citizen, who is a certified gun collector, to own and possess more than 15 registered firearms”, with no limit stated.
On paper, RA10591 is strict on acquiring and owning guns. Before they can buy a firearm, Filipinos have to get a licence, which requires police clearance, attending a gun safety seminar, and successfully passing drug and psychiatric tests.