PNP turns 6,526 defective firearms into scraps to create farming tools
The Philippine National Police (PNP) leads the ceremonial demilitarization of assorted discarded firearms at the PNP Grandstand in Camp Crame in Quezon City on Monday, October 24. Courtesy of PNP Facebook page
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Police (PNP) destroyed 6,526 old and defective firearms in Quezon City and gathered its scraps to help create farming and industrial equipment.
In a statement on Tuesday, the PNP said that its chief, Police General Rodolfo Azurin Jr., led the ceremonial demilitarization of old firearms on Monday.
The defective firearms are beyond economical repair (BER), mainly comprising firearms dubbed as “confiscated, captured, surrendered, deposited, abandoned, and forfeited-turned PNP property firearms” or CCSDAF–TPPF.
The PNP Logistics Office initiated the demilitarization process, which conducted an inventory and technical inspection on the CCSDAF–TPPF 25,476 units starting on February 8, 2021, until January 25, 2022.
The demilitarization of BER firearms is under the PNP Memorandum Circular No. 2017-017, which means that the “destruction of firearms, explosives, and ammunition” is a permitted method of discarding if PNP Property is already unusable. If it is not destroyed it might endanger the public.
Azurin stated that the activity of destroying firearms is part of the PNP gun control procedures to prevent firearms from the hands of criminals and unauthorized individuals.
Courtesy of PNP Facebook page
“This demilitarization process renders these firearms and their parts unusable by reducing them to scrap metal, thus preventing them from being recycled into functional firearms,” Azurin said in a statement.
The demilitarization process includes cutting individual steel pieces into different parts using a circular saw or blowtorch, bending and deforming the pieces, deforming hammer and trigger assembly using a blowtorch, grinder, or power tools, cutting or chopping wooden parts, and stamping aluminum parts.
The destroyed metal pieces are discarded as recyclable scrap materials and can be crafted and manufactured into farming and industrial tools.
However, the scrap or waste materials from the demilitarized firearms will be put through public bidding.
The money raised will be used for PNP’s plans and programs.–Alyssa Joy Quevedo, trainee
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