not yet revised

Carrying Firearms

Submitted by

English 23 – Writing Across the Disciplines
July 26,2013

Title: Carrying Firearms.
Thesis Statement:
Despite the quick help offered by Civilians with firearms, it should be banned because it does not make the society any safer, it also serves as a public threat/ intimidation to the people, and firearm exposure to children/ youth is not a good thing.
Background:
a. Death by guns is a big problem in the Philippines. From January to May this year 2013, more than a hundred Filipinos were killed from election-related violence alone. In the year 2002, the Vera Institute of Justice reported that 6,500 Filipinos died from gun violence (Galace, n.d).
b. Gun ownership in the Philippines is not required but a privilege however carrying it outside residence is another issue thus the state provided a “permit to carry firearms” for those who needed it.
c.
Philippine REPUBLIC ACT No.10591 state:
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A COMPREHENSIVE LAW ON FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION AND PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS THEREOF.
Article II
SEC. 7. Carrying of Firearms Outside of Residence or Place of Business. – A permit to carry firearms outside of residence shall be issued by the Chief of the PNP or his/her duly authorized representative to any qualified person whose life is under actual threat or his/her life is in imminent danger due to the nature of his/her profession, occupation or business .
It shall be the burden of the applicant to prove that his/her life is under actual threat by submitting a threat assessment certificate from the PNP.
For purposes of this Act, the following professionals are considered to be in immanent danger due to the nature of their profession, occupation or business:
(a) Members of the Philippine Bar;
(b) Certified Public Accountants;
(c) Accredited Media Practitioners;
(d) Cashiers, Bank Tellers;
(e) Priests, Ministers, Rabbi,Imams;
(f) Physicians and Nurses;
(g) Engineers; and
(h) Businessmen, who by the name of their business or undertaking, are exposed to high risk of being targets of criminal elements.
(The Senate of the Philippines, July 23, 2012)

d. PNP records show that the number of crimes committed using firearms is consistently rising.
In 2002, the Philippines ranked 5th globally, after South Africa, Colombia, Thailand and the United States, in terms of the number of murders committed using firearms, according to the 8th United Nations Survey on Crime Trends and the Operations of Criminal Justice Systems.
Authorities say most of the guns used in committing crimes were loose firearms.
Year
# of crime incidents involving firearms
# of firearms used
Firearms classified as

Licensed
Loose
2008
3,303
3,489
16
3,473
2009
4,711
4,894
27
4,876
2010
5,779
6,075
40
6,035
Data culled by Newsbreak from records of the PNP Firearms and Explosives Office on crimes involving firearms
(News Break Archives, by: Gemma Bagayaua-Mendoza)

e. The state has the authority to control or ban on the rights of the civilians to carry firearms.
State Control and Civilian Possession: Legal Domain
Rules and laws are social control measures imposed by the state to create standards and parameters as regards a particular concern. They have, thus, the flattening effect such that their implementation is sweeping and indiscriminate.
Unlike the United States, where citizens enjoy constitutional protection to bear arms, in the Philippines, gun ownership remains a privilege. Hence, the state has within its power the authority to issue stringent measures on civilian possession (Oreta, 2011).

Main Argument 1: Civilians should not carry firearms because it does not make the society any safer. Supporting Detail 1: It can cause fear to people; according to Hemenway, Azrael & Miller(2001), “Increased gun carrying reduces community feeling of safety”. Supporting Detail 2: It can accidentally shoot innocent people for according to Cook (2000) “More than half of unintentional firearm fatalities are individuals under twenty-five years of age.”
Supporting Detail 3: Rash emotions can influence the use of firearms because according to Hepburn & Hemenway (2004), “gun availability is a risk factor for homicide”.

Main Argument 2: It serves as a threat/ intimidation to the public. Supporting Detail 1: The contention that gun violence is almost always criminally-related is supported by crime statistics provided by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) (2006). Supporting Detail 2: Firearms are used far more often to frighten and intimidate than they are used in self-defense. (Hemenway, Azrael, 2000) Supporting Detail 3: Firearms can cause serious injuries for every unintentional firearm fatality, it is estimated that approximately thirteen victims are injured seriously enough to be treated in hospital emergency departments (Annest et al. 1995) according to Cook, (2000).
Main Argument 3: Children/ Youths exposure to firearms is not a good thing.
Supporting Detail 1: Children in the United States of America with guns have elevated rates of unintentional gun deaths, suicide and homicide. (Miller, Azrael & Hemenway,2002)
Supporting Detail 2: Youth killed in gun accidents are shot by other youth. (Hemenway, Barber & Miller,2010) Supporting Detail 3: According to Reich, Culross, and Behrman (2002), the psychological effects of exposure to gun violence on children and youth, includes anger, withdrawal, posttraumatic stress, and desensitization to violence.
Counter Argument 1: Civilians carrying firearms can immediately help the people.
Supporting Detail 1: Civilians carrying firearms can offer help instantly because according to Pamintuan (2007) the gun is the most convenient tool which could protect people from lawless elements that proliferate in many areas of the country. Refutation 1: Police will confiscate the firearm or filed a case against the civilian if he/she does not have the permit to use/carry it because according to Republic Act. 10591, Article 5, Sec.31: Absence of Permit to Carry Outside of Residence. - The penalty of prison correctional and a fine of Ten thousand pesos (1O,OOO.OO) shall be imposed upon any person who is licensed to own a firearm but who shall carry the registered firearm outside his/her residence without any legal authority therefor. Supporting Detail 2: According to Pamintuan (2007) Firearm is acquired because of the need for protection. Refutation 2: Owners are sometimes the first victim of their own gun instead of protecting themselves, according to Kleck & Kates (2001) victims who used guns were substantially more likely than victims in general or victims using other self-protection measures to face offenders armed with guns.
Supporting Detail 3: Local Police cannot be able to protect all its citizens because according to Kasler (1992), even if the police were obligated to protect us, or even if they tried to protect us, most often there wouldn 't be enough time for them to do it. Refutation 3: (According to Republic Act No. 8294 Section 7. Presidential Decree No.1866.) Unauthorized issuance of Authority to Carry Firearm and/or Ammunition Outside of Residence – The penalty of prision correccional shall be imposed upon any person, civilian or military, who shall issue authority firearm and/or ammunition outside of residence, without authority therefore.

Conclusion: Civilians should not carry firearms because it does not make the society any safer because it can cause fear to the people for it reduces the feeling of safety in the community, it can accidentally shoot innocent people because more than half of the victims by gun are below twenty-five years of age and rash emotions that influence firearms may lead to suicide since gun availability is a risk factor for homicide according to research. Also it will serve as a threat or intimidation to the public because firearms are prone to crimes that can be used as blackmail that will lead to serious injuries. Moreover if civilians will carry firearms it can create chaos to the society that will really create fear to the people because according to Hemenway (1996) Adolescents carry guns for protection are most of the time also against other adolescents carrying guns. Lastly children can be exposed to guns may affect them not just psychologically but also emotionally. Children’s nature of being playful and active can lead to misfire the weapon that can cause harm not just in themselves but also to other people that can possibly both lead to death. Thus, civilians owning guns should take full responsibility of it because taking the privilege to own such weapon for personal purposes is a lifetime commitment. They should not carry it especially outside its residence because there are a lot of risk and factors associated with it.

References:
Hemenway, D. (2006). Private guns, public health: with new afterword. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Cook, P. (2000). Gun Violence: the real costs. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press.
Squires, P. (2000). Gun culture or gun control?: firearms and violence: safety and society. London: Routledge.
National Research Council (U.S). Committee to Improve Research Information and Data on Firearms, (2004). Firearms and Violence: a critical review. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
Santos, S. (2010). Primed and purposeful: armed groups and human security efforts in the Philippines. Geneva, Switzerland: Small Arms Survey.
Galare J.N. (n.d). Gun Violence in the Philippines: A human security concern. Miriam College, Philippines.
Wellford C. F., Pepper I.V., Petrie, C.V. (2004). Firearms and Violence: A Critical Review. Washington, D.C. : The National Academies Press.
Oreta, J. S. (n.d.). Gun Proliferation & Violence: Complicating Conflict Dynamics & Peace Building. Ateneo de Manila University: School of Social Sciences Department of Political Science.
Goldberg, J.H. (1999). How youthful offenders perceive gun violence. Santa Monica, Calif: RAND
Kleck, G. & Kates, D.B. (2001). Armed: New perspectives on gun control. Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books.
Philippine Constitution: Republic Act No. 10591 (2012, July 23)
Philippine Constitution: Republic Act No. 8294
Harvard Injury Control Research Center(2010). Firearms Research. Retrieved July 24, 2013 from Harvard School of Public health http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/hicrc/firearms-research/.
Mendoza, G. B. (2011 January 29). Armed and Dangerous : More civilians own guns than the military and police. Retrieved July 18, 2013 from News Break Archives http://archives.newsbreak knowledge.ph/2011/01/29/armed-and-dangerous-more-civilians-own-guns-than-the-military and-police/.
Kasler, P.A. (1992). Self-Reliance for self-defense- police protection isn’t enough! : Police Have No Duty to Protect Individuals. Retrieved July 22,2013 from http://www.firearmsandliberty.com/kasler protection.html.
Reich, K. , Culross, P.L. & Behrman, R.E. (2002). The Future of the Children. Children, Youth, and Gun Violence: Analysis and Recommendation, Volume 12 No. 2.
Philippine Institute for Development Studies (May 2006). “Crime Statistics by Region”. Retrieved July 25, 2013 from http://www.pids.gov.ph.
Pamintuan, A.M. (2007, April 2). “Gun Culture”, The Philippine Star”, p. 10

References: Hemenway, D. (2006). Private guns, public health: with new afterword. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. Cook, P Squires, P. (2000). Gun culture or gun control?: firearms and violence: safety and society. London: Routledge. National Research Council (U.S). Committee to Improve Research Information and Data on Firearms, (2004). Firearms and Violence: a critical review. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. Santos, S. (2010). Primed and purposeful: armed groups and human security efforts in the Philippines. Geneva, Switzerland: Small Arms Survey. Wellford C. F., Pepper I.V., Petrie, C.V. (2004). Firearms and Violence: A Critical Review. Washington, D.C. : The National Academies Press. Goldberg, J.H. (1999). How youthful offenders perceive gun violence. Santa Monica, Calif: RAND Kleck, G Philippine Constitution: Republic Act No. 10591 (2012, July 23) Philippine Constitution: Republic Act No Harvard Injury Control Research Center(2010). Firearms Research. Retrieved July 24, 2013 from Harvard School of Public health http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/hicrc/firearms-research/. Kasler, P.A. (1992). Self-Reliance for self-defense- police protection isn’t enough! : Police Have No Duty to Protect Individuals. Retrieved July 22,2013 from http://www.firearmsandliberty.com/kasler protection.html. Reich, K. , Culross, P.L. & Behrman, R.E. (2002). The Future of the Children. Children, Youth, and Gun Violence: Analysis and Recommendation, Volume 12 No. 2. Philippine Institute for Development Studies (May 2006). “Crime Statistics by Region”. Retrieved July 25, 2013 from http://www.pids.gov.ph. Pamintuan, A.M. (2007, April 2). “Gun Culture”, The Philippine Star”, p. 10