Radical measures needed to fight crime

The alarming crime rate calls for radical measures.

One such measure is for armed but responsible law-abiding citizens to help the Philippine National Police (PNP) in fighting crime.

There are hundreds of thousands of licensed gun owners, and the PNP can commission some of them to become deputy police officers.

Choosing responsible licensed gun owners is easy. All the PNP has to do is go over the list of active members of the Philippine Practical Shooting Association (PPSA) and the local branch of the International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA).

Many PPSA and IDPA members take part in regular shooting competitions.

Needless to say, they’re more adept and, therefore, more responsible in handling long and short firearms than ordinary policemen who hardly fire their guns at the shooting range.

The thousands of PPSA and IDPA members, who can afford to buy radio sets connected to police radio, could become part of a posse, a group of armed citizens summoned by the police to enforce the law.

Security guards can’t be counted on to watch out for criminals because their lives would be in danger when they get out of the establishments they’re guarding. “Blue guards,” as they are also called, leave behind firearms issued to them in the places where they work.

But active PPSA and IDPA members are not afraid to be counted on to fight crime because they can be given permits to carry their licensed guns outside their homes.

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The government should make use of the responsible armed citizens by calling on them to serve their country in this hour of need.

Armed citizens who are civic-minded would only be too glad to volunteer their services to fight crime.

The government can count me in.

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Civilian PPSA and IDPA members (there are law enforcers and military men who are members of the two shooters’ groups) would become an effective force to fight crime.

Why? Because they’re fighting to save their homes and loved ones from becoming victims of criminals.

Have you seen how civilian fire volunteers, who are mostly Chinese-Filipinos, are very effective in putting out fires in big cities?

Most of the time, volunteer firefighters get to the fire scene faster than government firemen.

Why? Because volunteer firefighters are fighting to save their homes and business establishments from being razed by fires.

Most members of the Bureau of Fire Protection wait to be paid off by owners of burning houses or business establishments before they train their hoses on the blaze.

That’s a fact of life in our country.