The right to bear arms

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor GUILLERMO TEJIDA III Desk Editor NANETTE L. GUADALQUIVER Busines Editor NIDA A. BUENAFE Sports Editor RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

A local government unit in Negros Oriental is in the process of authorizing at least 15 village chiefs to bear arms in the performance of their duties and responsibilities as primary peacekeepers of their barangays.

The mayor of Valencia town is planning to issue firearms to the barangay captains and to 16 police auxiliaries in the town.

The mayor’s view is that the auxiliaries act as force multipliers to the existing police personnel in Valencia, and can carry guns while in the company, and under the supervision, of regular policemen.

The right to bear arms is an issue which is not enshrined in the Bill of Rights of the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Citizens of this province may be alarmed by this latest development of arming the smallest political unit, including its police auxiliaries, who have no police experience.

We believe that arming these people who are not fully qualified to handle police matters, even if they are required to undergo a gun safety training and seminar in order to bear arms, do not guarantee the effectiveness of the idea. Not even a neurological test for gun holders will ensure that they will always be used in a sober, reasonable and responsible manner.

Can we truly rely on the power of the gun to protect the people, even from those who wield power in our communities? The arming of local officials may have sprung from good intentions but it could create a situation that will make our country a gun capital in the world.

Are we prepared for the consequences of that?*