ANOTHER set of unregistered firearms found in mountain barangays was surrendered to the City Mobile Force Company (CMFC) of the Cebu City Police Office.
Police in Cebu City have confiscated and recovered a total of 367 loose firearms since the CMFC started its campaign on firearms control last August 2019.
The most recent recovery operation yielded 21 loose firearms, which consisted of a Frontier, .38 revolver, .357 revolver, .30 bolt action sniper rifle, an improvised shotgun, .30 revolver, an improvised pistol, and seven 40-millimeter grenade bullets for an M203 launcher, among others.
CMFC chief Police Lieutenant Colonel Randy Korret said several civilians in the hinterlands keep unregistered firearms in their possession for their protection.
“This is alarming because these loose firearms are high-powered. Also, in 2012 and 2013, we had several shooting incidents that were not reported. That is what challenged us to recover these firearms,” Korret added in a mix of English and Tagalog.
He said their target is to recover 5,000 loose firearms within a year of launching their operation.
Korret urged all holders of loose firearms to voluntarily surrender their guns for safekeeping.
There are 25,000 estimated loose firearms in Cebu City, which the police are aiming to recover to keep them from being used as instruments of crime. (AYB, RTF)