Laglag bala: A review of RA 10591: The Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act

Abstract

This study was primarily conducted to review the provisions of RA 10591: The Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act. Specifically, the study aimed to determine the following: The knowledge of the general public regarding the Law on firearms and ammunition; The provisions of RA 10591 which needs to be revised, repealed or amended, in order to make it more specific; The factors which may affect the effectiveness of the RA 10591; The reasons for the need for revision of specific provisions in the RA 10591; and The safeguards of the Law in relation to RA 10591. This content analysis study aimed to determine the gaps and discrepancies of the provisions of RA 10591. It was apparent that the law on the carrying of firearms and ammunition, specifically, under Section 28, should be amended in order to avoid ambiguity in its interpretation and prevent further cases which involve carrying of a single ammunition, alleged bullet-planting schemes, and assumed extortion of airport security officers. Based on the findings, the following conclusions were advanced: The leading cause of the laglag-bala issue was the presence of a single ammunition found in the luggage of an airport passenger; RA 10591 has not specified the minimum number of ammunition possessed by a person, in the absence of a firearm that should be considered as violative of the law; Amendment is a must in order to compensate and to prevent future incidents of the same scenario.