PROGUN Advocacy - a recollection of thoughts and reflections

Almost two decades ago, after I purchased my first firearm, I was introduced by Lawrence Acierto to Andy Apostol, who was then Secretary General of PROGUN, and it started a chapter in my life which became dedicated to the advocacy of peaceful and responsible gun ownership. I remember the good old days with the PROGUN Board, the endless discussions with Manny Molina, the out of town trips to render lectures and Gun Safety Seminars and the fun shoots. On the more serious side, the countless committee hearings in both houses of Congress, the technical working groups and the hours after hours of lobbying just to ensure that all of us can keep on carrying our firearms to give us peace of mind that with the piece of metal in our bags can save our life or that of our loved ones in case the need arises. Then there came PNP Director Panfilo M. Lacson, who ordered a strict implementation on the issuance of PTCFORS, many stories abound regarding the magic 160, or the only ones that were given the much coveted i.d. card during the Estrada Administration.It was our belief then that only them who were close to the former president had PTCFORS which left us with no option other than to look for other agency that can provide us with that authority to carry our firearms. But of course for a fee. Some of us became military agents while others became confidential agents of some law enforcement agencies with our firearms being "donated" to them.

We rejoiced when GMA was sworn in and a new Chief PNP was installed in the expanse of Camp Rafael Crame along EDSA. PTCFOR were issued again and we started to pack our pieces again.But our jubilation was short lived. Due to the death of a rich law student (from a law school of the same class) GMA suddently revoked all the PTCFORS while speaking before the members of the PNP during  its celebration in 2005. It was during that time when I was invited to speak before the Senate Committee on Publice Order and Illegal Drugs before the late Senator Robert Z. Barbers that I mentioned "what GMA did is to make Ping Lacson a saint before gun owners" It was also during that period that we launched the successful talong rally before the DILG Building and the subsequent confrontation with my fraternity brother and avowed anti-gun then Secretary Jose Lina. Although, the actual gain was not really promising but the fact that most gunowners moved as one and united group was in itself a victory. We have shown them and the whole country, that we gunowners is a force to reckon with.

A united group of gunowners is not really a simple cause oriented organization but a defacto armed forces. If there is half a million registered gunowners that will unite and rally behind our organization, we will be more than twice the number of our standing army, even more than all the threat groups combined! Remember when the MILF went on a rampage in Northern MIndanao (after the Supreme Court had declared the MOA-AD unconstitutional) and the Mayor of Iligan City has called on all shooters and responsible gunowners to defend the city. Our comrades in arms in that city heed the call and they were able to prevent the marauding fundamentalists from entering the city limits. Just imagine if all the holders of PTCFORS in Metro Manila will just stand side by side with arms locked outside Camp Crame with our firearms inside our clutchbags (as what the Chief PNP wants us to do) no one will even dare to drive us away out for the simple reason that we out number and out gun them. The same might not be true with the military but still the numbers will still be too close for comfort. Furthermore, our arms, compare with that of the PNP, is better.As responsible gunowners, we clean our firearms after shooting-in short there is maintenance, good and quality care of our firearms, we have better quality ammunition and our accessories are topnotch! Sometimes, I cannot help not to ponder on the fact that the reason for the unreasonable enforecement of the rules on the issuance of PTCFOR is envy. The PNP is just envious of gunowners because we outnumber them, we outgun them and perhaps we are even more handsome than them.

The GMA administration twice placed the country under Martial Law or State of Rebellion whatever you want to use but for us the effect was just as the same. We were again prevented from carrying our firearms and we followed and obey the orders of our duly constituted leaders. That is what make us different from the elements of the criminal world, we follow the law and orders who implement the law. But who gets victimized? its us not them.

If one will do the math, 100,000 PTCFORS issued to civilians is a total Php 415,000,000.00 in fees or an equivalent of 2,306 new automatic rifles (a Sig Sauer 5.56 automatic rifle) or 6,917 new pistols every year if the PNP will issue the same number of PTCFORS to qualified civilians. If this will be done in five years alone, the logistical requirements of the PNP will be met because it could have earned in the billions of pesos from the issuance of PTCFORS alone. And 100,000 PTCFOR holders in Metro Manila does not even account for ten percent of its total population. So, if the PNP leadership will be more reasonable in the issuance of the PTCFOR, they will be doing their organization a very big favor. Crime statistics? We do not have to discuss it because its why down below the mark. Not even a significant number were committed with licensed firearms. Some cases were just blown out of proportion by the media or the spin doctors of the PNP in order to maintain their control over gunowners. Most hits by gun for hires were done with loose firearms because no one will dare to have it registered and filling out the space for occupation as "gun for hire" "professional life terminator"

Its up to our police officers to rethink their position on firearms ownership and its possession in public.

Now that the 15th Congress is about to open, there is a new challenge that awaits us. It will be the barrage of bills filed by anti gun legislators who will call for tougher gun laws in the country. With the huge amount of money coming from foreign sources, the anti gun lobby is ready to buy the votes of these peace loving (kuno) legislators who have a coiteree of armed bodyguards, to pass these bills before the House Committee on Public Order and its counterpart in the Senate.Write your congressmen and ask them not to sponsor any measure that will curtail our privelege. Tell them that we are doing this for the sake of the protection of our families, properties and even our liberty.Make community petitions and give it to your local leaders so that they will be informed of our desires and aspirations.

How about us? we are ready, we will meet them head on but we need  your help, we need your support, we only have ourselves to help one another to protect this privilege of ours to own and carry firearms.Many have spoken as your representatives, most of them are new in the advocacy and we thank them for their interest, we can only hope and pray that come hell and high water, they will be with us in this advocacy. We hope to see them in Congress, we hope to see them talking to the media publicly denouncing our enemies, we desire to see them to stand for us.

16 years of advocay is tiring and exhausting but there is a need to fight on and move forward no matter how difficult it is. I will admit I am tired and so is Fallujah. But we can always assure you that we are always here to stand for our privileges until we make both gun ownership and carrying of firearms a Constitutional right.