MANILA – Senate Majority Floor Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri is pushing for a twin-track firearms agenda that would expand legal protections for law-abiding gun owners while imposing tougher penalties on firearm owners whose negligence leads to deadly crimes.
In a news release on Friday, Zubiri highlighted Senate Bill (SB) Nos. 1555 and 1897 as key measures aimed at promoting responsible gun ownership and strengthening public safety.
SB 1555 seeks to reinforce the right to self-defense by creating a legal presumption of unlawful aggression in cases of forced or illegal entry into a person's home, vehicle or place of business.
“Sa oras ng panganib, ilang segundo lamang ang mayroon ang isang tao para kumilos (In moments of danger, a person only has seconds to act)," Zubiri said, adding that the measure is intended to protect victims of unlawful attacks and not to encourage violence.
He also renewed his push for SB 1897, which proposes amendments to the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
The measure would expand exemptions from threat assessment certificates; increase allowable ammunition limits; shorten the election gun ban to 45 days before and five days after elections; simplify firearm ownership transfers due to death or incapacity; provide a one-year amnesty for license registration or renewal; and ease regulatory requirements for local defense manufacturers under the Self-Reliant Defense Posture program.
At the same time, Zubiri called for stiffer criminal liability against owners who fail to properly secure their firearms, saying recent shooting incidents stemmed from negligence rather than responsible gun ownership.
“They didn't pull the trigger, but their negligence paved the way for the tragedy to happen,” he said, arguing that existing penalties under Republic Act No. 10591 (Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act) are insufficient, given the loss of innocent lives. (PNA)
