Firearms

Those keeping an eye on the Philippine news would probably have noticed regular reports about the rising tally of gun ban arrests. Encouraged by its apparent success, the Chief of PNP is pushing to have it made permanent. Of course, he is also doing this because of the 'overwhelming clamor' from the people for more gun control.

This is propaganda. The facts do not support his claims. I know because I started a project to create an independent database of violent crime incidents during the gun ban. So far, volunteers have recorded over 300 injuries and 440 fatalities due to violent crime between January and May 2010. The ban did not help any of these victims.

Lies, damn lies and ERVIs

Of course, statistics are easily manipulated to fit any point-of-view. The problem with the official figures are that only election-related violence incidents (ERVIs) are counted. That does not take into account what happens to over-all violent crime during the gun ban period. Also, since the country does not live under a permanent state of election fever, there is no reason why ERVIs should be used as a metric to decide a permanent ban.

The proposal to extend the ban comes after series of sudden moves to tighten firearms controls. As usual, the public is supposed to believe that these steps are all geared to make us safer. But why is the PNP feeding us with information that is blatantly wrong? Some of us pro-firearms and liberty-minded people see this trend as somewhat suspicious.

The authoritarian nature of anti-gun

In light of all this, the pro-gun groups are now up in arms. (Figuratively, of course.) They are now getting organized and starting their opposition by releasing to the media their statements against the ban. The situation took a malevolent turn on 27 May with an article published in the Manila Bulletin.

The Chief of PNP is quoted as saying, "There now appears to be some sectors that do not want a gun ban [so] maybe let's check the background of these sectors or these individuals that are giving unnecessary comments."

This simple statement should send alarm bells ringing. Background check? Unnecessary comments? The threat is plain enough for anyone but the most naive. It is a phrase that evokes not-quite-buried memories of dictatorship and political repression. Why should anyone peacefully protesting undergo a background check? Is freedom of speech in the Philippines to be regarded as 'unnecessary comments'? I'm afraid that in one statement, our Chief of Police has shown his true authoritarian nature.

We should always be wary when our leaders start taking away the ability to defend ourselves. The true motives rarely correspond with their outward claims. Firearms control is the biggest but most insidious threat to freedom in our country. History provides us with a consistent lesson: people control and firearms control always go hand-in-hand. Always.

While our Philippine lawmen are busy trying to restrict the freedoms of ordinary Filipinos, the Americans are steadily strengthening the rights of their citizens.

On May 20, the Service Member Second Amendment Protection Act of 2010 was enacted to the United States Senate. The bill protects the rights of Armed Forces and Department of Defense civilian employees by prohibiting any requirement to register privately owned firearms.

This ruling follows on from a wave of pro-firearms laws in the USA such as:

• the overturning of Washington DC's ban on handguns
• allowing concealed firearms carry in national parks
• expanding the lawful use of deadly force in self-defense
• Right-to-Carry reform and the growing number of "Shall-issue" states

Legislators in the US are realizing that gun control, just like alcohol prohibition, does more harm than good. How long will it take before those in the Philippines come to their senses?

In the hope of avoiding violence during the 2010 general elections, the Philippines was put under a nationwide total gun ban for the period between January 10 and June 9. The ban, according to Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief General Jesus Verzosa, has been such an effective crime deterrent that they are considering a permanent total gun ban.

His statement seems brush aside reports from the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) that the 2010 elections are turning out to be the most violent. As with other gun control adherents, he also ignores is the fact that there have been no cases anywhere in the world where a ban has effectively prevented criminals from obtaining weapons.

It is a fact that the gun ban failed to stop violent criminals from murdering hundreds of people during the 5 months since it started. Further, many of the much publicized arrests were made up of—had it not been for the ban—otherwise legal gun holders.

This development comes in the wake of a series of moves to tighten firearms controls, such as the ludicrous ban on inside-waistband carry and an attempt to reclassify airsoft replicas as firearms. As usual, the public is supposed to believe that these steps are all geared to make us safer.

Some of us, however, may find this trend somewhat suspicious, and rightly so; those who look at history know that one of the first steps of the aspiring autocrat is to disarm the population. The Philippines may not be at risk of another Ferdinand Marcos just yet, but someone is pulling our government's strings.

“The key to freedom is to be able to have the ability to defend yourself and if you don't have the tools to do that, then you're going to be at the mercy of whomever wants to put you away”