DILG chief prods Congress on gun owner liability after Tacloban shooting

MANILA, Philippines — Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla urged Congress to amend the country’s gun laws by imposing more criminal liabilities on owners of firearms used by other individuals to commit crimes.

“I recommend to Congress that they rewrite the IRR of gun ownership and the responsibility for holding firearms and to put a criminal aspect into the illegal use or illegal transfer of their guns,” Remulla said in a press briefing in Camp Crame on Thursday.

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“People have to be responsible gun owners or gun operators. Sa nangyari dito, wala kaming ma-charge. Kailangan may liability ang mga taong ito (With what happened here, we cannot charge anyone. Someone has to be held liable,” he added, referring to the Tacloban City school shooting where two students, aged 14 and 15 opened fire on campus, resulting in three deaths and injuries to at least 20 others.

The 14-year-old suspect allegedly used a gun that belonged to his aunt, a police staff sergeant; while the 15-year-old suspect had allegedly used a gun supposedly registered to a Cebu-based security agency. /gsg

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