Attitude of civilians towards the effectivity of firearm licensing in the deterrence of crime against person

Abstract

This research study aimed to determine the attitude of the civilian towards the effectivity of firearm licensing in the deterrence of crimes against person. This study was anchored on Deterrence Theory. It is based on the concept that, if the consequence of committing a crime outweighs the benefit of the crime itself, the individual will be deterred from committing the crime. It utilized Civilians as its independent variable and attitude toward firearm licensing as dependent variable with key indicators as positive attitude and negative attitude towards the effectivity of firearm licensing in the deterrence of crimes against person. The data was collected through One Shot Survey which was conducted within Iloilo City on the period between May-August 2018.The questionnaire is comprised of five questions answerable by a yes or a no. It was then handed out to 50 civilians who willingly participated. The findings of the study revealed that 56% of the respondents agreed that firearm licensing is effective in deterring the commission of crimes against person but they also believe that the Philippine firearm licensing procedure is difficult and inefficient as presented with 76% of the respondents. Majority or 74% of them agreed that the cost of firearm licensing is reasonable and at the same time cost-effective; 66% or two-thirds of all respondents answered in the affirmative when asked whether or not the firearm licensing is favorable to the Citizens of the Philippines. Almost all of the respondents or 46 out of 50 has positive attitude towards the need for the reformation and simplification of the current firearm licensing procedures in the Philippines.