QCPD: 33 violators caught since start of gun ban

At least 33 people have been arrested in Quezon City for violating the election gun ban which took effect on Jan. 13.

Chief Supt. Joselito Esquivel, director of the Quezon City Police District, said the apprehended persons yielded 33 guns (29 short and 4 long firearms), two gun replicas, 272 rounds of assorted ammunition, and three hand grenades.

They were caught at the more than 400 police checkpoints set up across the city in connection with the gun ban imposed by the Commission on Elections leading to the midterm polls in May.

Under the ban, carrying firearms and deadly weapons is prohibited in public places unless covered by a written exemption issued by the poll body.

The ban will remain in effect until June 12. Violators face one to six years in prison, permanent disqualification from public office and the loss of their right to vote, among other penalties.

Also, the QCPD noted that two men who were stopped at a Comelec checkpoint at the corner of Payatas Road and Molave Street on Jan. 16 turned out to be suspects in a robbery case and were killed by the police when they resisted arrest and fired at the officers. —Jodee A. Agoncillo