President Rodrigo Roa Duterte with Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea. FILE PHOTO / KING RODRIGUEZ / MALACANANG
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law a measure extending the validity of licenses to carry firearms and the registration of firearms up to 10 years.
Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11766 on May 6, but was released to the media on Tuesday, which amends two provisions of the Republic Act No. 10591, extending the validity of the licenses to carry firearms from two years up to five to 10 years and the registration of the firearm from the previous four years up to five to 10 years.
Under the new law, all licenses to posses a firearm, regardless of type or classification, shall be renewed every five years or 10 years, at the option of the licensee, unless sooner revoked or suspended.
The renewal date shall be reckoned from the birthdate of the said licensee, it read.
The registration of the firearm, meanwhile, shall be renewed every five years or 10 years, which is also at the option of the licensee and will be reckoned from his or her birthdate, unless sooner revoked or suspended.
Failure to both renew the licenses to carry and registration of firearms shall result in the revocation of the license and the registration, as well as the confiscation or forfeiture the firearm.
Should the licensee fail to renew a license or registration on two occasions will perpetually disqualify him or her from applying for any firearm license, according to the new law.
Applications for the renewal of license or registration may be submitted to the Firearms and Explosives Office of the Philippine National Police within six months before the expiration date of the licenses or registration.
Exemptions
Incumbent and former elected officials as well as active and retired military and law enforcement personnel are now exempted from the requirement of a threat assessment certificate in applying for a permit to carry firearms outside of residence or place of business, the new law states.
Previously, only those exempted are:
- Members of the Philippine Bar
- Certified public accountants
- Cashiers, bank tellers
- Priests, ministers, rabbi, imams
- Physicians, nurses
- Engineers
- Businessmen who, by nature of their business or undertaking are exposed to high risk of being targets of criminal elements
A permit to carry firearms outside of residence shall be issued by the PNP chief or the duly authorized representative to any qualified person whose life is under actual threat or is in imminent danger due to the nature of the person’s profession.
Permits shall be valid for two years.
“It shall be the burden of the applicant to prove the actual threat to life by submitting a threat assessment certificate, provided that the appropriate PNP unit shall issue the threat assessment certificated within 15 days,” the new law read.
The PNP shall form the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the new law within 90 days of its effectivity. But an absence of an IRR “shall not prevent the implementation of this Act upon its effectivity,” it read.