PNP eyes blacklisting 40,000 gun owners for giving wrong home address

PNP Chief, Director General Alan LM Purisima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Over 40,000 licensed gun owners are in danger of getting blacklisted for giving wrong home address, the chief of the Philippine National Police official said Wednesday.

The discovery came after the PNP launched “Oplan Katok” that subjected around 530,000 gun owners who failed to renew their gun licenses, PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima told reporters.

“Oplan Katok” is a measure started in December last year. Authorities visit and knock on doors of each gun owners with expired licenses to update them on the status of their documents and remind them to have their papers renewed immediately.

Purisima said that of the 530,000 owners, roughly 42,000 were not found in the address they registered in their license information sheet.

“We will blacklist [them]. We will see to it [that they cannot obtain licenses for their firearms],” Purisima said.

If located, they will be made to explain why they gave wrong home address.

In anticipation of the midterm elections, the PNP has stepped up its nationwide campaign on loose firearms, estimated to be 25,065.

Part of the drive involves PNP officers visiting homes of gun owners to check on their firearms and papers.

This way, according to Purisima, owners of guns will know they are being monitored. Police also will have a chance to catch criminals keeping guns.

On Wednesday, several high-powered loose firearms were confiscated from Vice Mayor Lacson Mangotara Lantud of Pantao Ragat, Lanao del Norte at his residence.

Seized from his residence were one M60 machinegun, one Browning Automatic Rifle, six M230 grenade launchers, two M79 grenade launchers, nine M14 rifles, two M16 rifles, 14 Garand riffles, six short handguns and assorted ammunition.

Lantud was not in his home during the raid, but authorities found his wife Mayor Eleanor Dimaporo. She was invited for questioning.

On the PNP’s latest record of gun ban violators, the number of arrested persons reached 864 and police seized 801 firearms.