Catapang orders strict firearm safety
Firearms should also be fitted with trigger or cable locks when not in use. Ammunition must be stored separately in a locked container.
Bureau of Corrections director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. has reminded all personnel under him to properly handle and strictly safeguard government-issued firearms following recent fatal shootings involving minors who gained access to firearms owned or possessed by adult relatives.
Catapang said firearm safety is a continuing duty that extends beyond the workplace.
Authorized personnel must keep firearms secured and inaccessible to unauthorized individuals, particularly children and minors. Weapons must never be left unattended or in areas accessible to family members, visitors or strangers, he said.
Personnel keeping firearms at home should use a heavy-duty gun safe or lockbox firmly secured to a wall or floor. Keys and combination codes must be kept confidential and changed when necessary, he added.
Firearms should also be fitted with trigger or cable locks when not in use. Ammunition must be stored separately in a locked container.
The memorandum also prohibited leaving firearms on tabletops, inside unlocked drawers, beneath pillows or inside unattended vehicles.