Gun owners ask SC to stop ‘exorbitant’ fees on gun permits, licenses

MANILA, Philippines — To own and carry a gun, they shouldn’t be charged too much.

Advocates for responsible gun ownership asked the Supreme Court, on Wednesday, to stop government from enforcing new rates for firearms permits and licenses, saying fees approved in September were “exorbitant.” They  also asked for a temporary restraining order on the fees.

Gun owners’ group Go Act and licensed firearms owner Richard Infantado filed on Wednesday morning, a petition for prohibition against several government and police officials in a bid to stop the implementation of fees charging P1,000 to P10,000 for permits and licenses for various types of firearms and munition.

According to the petitioners, the fees are a clear form of taxation, as they did not just cover the cost of the actual processing and issuance of firearms permits and licenses.

“It is clear that the Schedule of Fees is not just aimed at defraying the cost of processing and issuing the  licenses and permits for individual gun owners.  Rather, the schedule of fees is actually a tax, as it is clearly irrelevant to the costs of inspection and regulation required under RA 10591 (The Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition),” read the petition.

The petitioners said they had received no response to a letter they sent to President Aquino, urging government to formulate fees that “are reasonable and not geared towards merely covering the costs of licensing, and not tantamount to taxation.”

“While there is admittedly cost in establishing and maintaining a computer database to process and store firearms applications and licenses, such cost cannot, even by the greatest stretch of the imagination, amount to P10,000 or even P1,000 per firearm owner,” read the petition.

It asked the high court to immediately issue a temporary restraining order to stop the enforcement of the September fees.

It also sought a status quo ante order “directing respondents to continue accepting applications for, processing and issuing” firearms permits and licenses “under the same terms and conditions as they did prior to the issuance and implementation of the Schedule of fees.”

Named respondents in the petition were Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, recently retired Philippine National Police (PNP) Officer-in-Charge and Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina, PNP Civil Security Group director and Chief Superintendent Elmer Soria, and PNP Firearms and Explosives Office head and Chief Superintendent Elmo Francis Sarona. SFM