A license to not be helpless victims

The peculiar thing about gun laws in this country is how they punish those who follow them and barely touch those who don’t. The more you comply, the more you’re burdened; the less you care, the more you’re free to roam with impunity.

Which is why the pending amendments to Republic Act 10591, the Comprehensive Firearms Law, now on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s desk, deserve not just a long look but serious, urgent action. They’re not radical and they don’t encourage a gun-toting culture. But they tend to correct something that’s long been backwards: in a country where criminals are always armed, it’s the law-abiding citizen who’s often left helpless.

One major fix? Reducing the election gun ban from six months to 45 days. For years, the Commission on Elections has capriciously imposed bans that disarm responsible gun owners, like that half-year ban during the 2025 midterm elections.

That’s logic flipped on its head as the data is clear. Election-related shootings are mostly committed with unregistered firearms. Fact is criminals don’t register their weapons, they don’t undergo drug or psychiatric tests, and they certainly don’t sit through gun safety seminars. They don’t wait for the Comelec ban to expire to attack; they actually take advantage of it knowing they only have to be wary of cops and not armed civilians.

Another amendment would allow for a single permit to cover all the registered firearms of a licensed individual. Right now, each firearm requires a separate Permit to Carry Outside of Residence (PTCFOR), along with duplicate fees and paperwork. It’s inefficiency disguised as regulation.

What the anti-gun lobby refuses to say is that legal gun ownership in the Philippines is already one of the most regulated in the region. To even apply, one must secure a License to Own and Possess Firearms (LTOPF), pass background checks, and undergo neuro-psychiatric and drug tests. Many applicants fail, as they should. These requirements aren’t being watered down. The system filters out the unstable. That stays.

Sport shooters will also benefit. Right now, the ammo limits are so low they might suit a weekend plinker, but they cripple serious athletes. We say we want Olympic shooters, but we starve them of bullets. You don’t breed champions with ration cards.

But these amendments aren’t just about sport or crime. There’s a broader national interest here.

The West Philippine Sea is under siege — slowly, deliberately. And while we hold press conferences and file protests, China builds runways. Maybe it’s time we started thinking like countries that know survival requires more than outrage. Israel and South Korea train their citizens not to be victims. Not vigilantes — but citizens who are trained, ready, and, crucially, with access to the tools they need if the worst happens.

When Hamas struck Israeli towns, some civilian responders had the military training but not the weapons. The result? Readiness that couldn’t be translated to defense. What use is preparation if you’re told to keep your tools --- firearms are just that --- under lock and key?

The Constitution isn’t mute on this. Article II, Section 5 guarantees the protection of life, liberty and property. The Revised Penal Code goes further, affirming the right to defend oneself, family, even strangers, against unlawful aggression.

These amendments won’t create chaos. They’ll fix a system that’s been punishing the wrong people. What citizens want isn’t a license for mayhem, just a license not to die without a fight.