Civilians can now legally own semi-automatic rifles, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP).
PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo, in a press briefing, said the ease on gun ownership came as an offshoot of amendments to the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act Monday.
Fajardo said the police organization made some minor amendments to the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act to allow private citizens to own rifles.
“Right now, private citizens can have licenses for their rifles, particularly the 7.62 mm and below, as well as the semi-automatics,” Fajardo said.
She added that civilians may also own M14 rifles or lower provided the guns are not automatic.
The PNP earlier created a technical working group to rewrite some provisions of firearms law.
Fajardo said the amendment has been forwarded to the UP Law Center for publication. It will be effective 15 days after publication, she said.
It may be recalled that semi-automatic rifles were used in several mass shootings in the United States in past years, notably in the worst mass shooting in US history, in October 2017, when a man — using rifles equipped with bump stocks — fired on a crowd attending an outdoor music concert in Las Vegas, killing 58 people and wounding around 500.
Even by US standards, where gun violence is common and firearms outnumbered if the population, the attacks sparked public shock.
The US Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear arguments on the legality of “bump stocks,” simple devices that can allow automatic fire from otherwise semi-automatic guns.
Assault weapons are firearms that can fire more and deadlier rounds over a shorter period than a handgun. Research suggests that banning assault weapons can prevent mass shooting injuries and deaths. While some states have their own assault weapons bans, federal legislation is needed to address this issue nationwide.
A semiautomatic weapon is a firearm that, with each pull of the trigger, fires one bullet and automatically loads another, allowing it to fire quickly. It fires bullets with more energy than a handgun, resulting in more damage to the human body.
A magazine is a device that feeds ammunition into a firearm, and a “large-” or “high-capacity magazine” typically refers to one that holds more than 10 or 15 rounds of ammunition, allowing a shooter to fire many bullets before needing to reload.
The definition of an “assault weapon” varies under federal and state laws but generally refers to a semiautomatic weapon, sometimes with one or two specific military-style features. Compared to a handgun, an assault weapon with a fixed or detachable large-capacity magazine can fire more and deadlier rounds over a short period.
