PRO6 chief warns against buying of gun replicas
Amid the enforcement of the Commission on Elections gun ban, Chief Supt. Samuel Pagdilao Jr., police regional director, has reminded the public against buying toy guns or gun replicas as possession of such items could constitute violation of the gun ban.
In Western Visayas, Pagdilao said a person was already arrested for possession of gun replica.
With the advent of the Christmas season, the police has already monitored traders selling toy guns.
Owning a gun replica is a violation of the Letter of Instructions 1264 issued in 1982 by then President Ferdinand Marcos. The LOI penalizes the sale, use and display of gun replicas with confiscation.
The Marcos decree was issued in response to the then prevalent practice of using toy or replica guns in robbery incidents.
Pagdilao said the police is not discounting the possibility that toy guns might be used by some unscrupulous individuals to threaten voters in the coming barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
Gun Ban Arrests
Meanwhile, for the period September 25 to October 10, 38 persons in Region 6 have already been arrested for gun ban violation.
The arrests led to the confiscation of 31 firearms, including 29 low-powered guns and two high-powered guns.
Bacolod City tops the list with 11 arrests and nine confiscations.
Iloilo City made nine arrests; Negros Occidental, seven; Aklan and Antique provinces, four each; Capiz, two; and Iloilo province, one.
Twenty-one cases have already been filed in court while 16 are still under investigation.
Pagdilao said they will continue to conduct checkpoint operations as he asked for the cooperation of the public in making the October 25 elections peaceful.*
