Renewing my irons....

Late last week I found myself at the Firearms and Explosives Division (FED) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) located at its headquarters in Camp Crame. I was there to renew my firearm licenses which have expired almost two months ago.

Unlike my previous visit two years ago when I last renewed my firearm licenses, the renewal process is now, quite suprisingly, a model of efficiency, with very short lines, less documentary and procedural requirements, less bureaucracy, and overall faster processing.

Significantly speeding up the process nowadays is the omission of two steps that were required before, the previously mandatory gun safety seminar, and the practical and written tests. The gun safety seminar supposedly brushes you up on the basics of gun safety, and covers subjects ranging from the proper way of handling and storing firearms, to the technicalities of firearm licenses and permits. Your knowledge of these topics is tested in a written exam, along with a practical shooting portion which tests your proficiency with using a similar type of firearm with the one you own.

I agree with their decision to eliminate the gun safety seminar portion. This ought to be a requirement only for new licensees, not for long-time gun owners. I don't really see the point of having to sign up for a lecture which you're already acutely familiar with every two years, and having to test for the same. Same goes for the practical shooting test, which many considered to be a needless requirement because of its shallow nature.

Thankfully, they saw fit to do away with these surplus steps, and combined with their relatively new computerized licensing system, they promise to give you your renewed license card in ten minutes. Well, it wasn't actually that fast in my case, but still, it was significantly faster.

What took me the better part of a day before, sometimes even two, took me only 45 minutes. And that's for two licenses. This is the type of operational efficiency that you expect to see in the private sector, not in government.

In an effort to reduce the number of loose (unlicensed) firearms out there, the PNP has relaxed certain rules with regard to their registration. Pay them a visit if you have one of those types of firearms that you want to bring within the fold of the law. They also offer a 50% discount on licensing fees to all government employees. Seems like a good deal to me.

So, if you're putting off the renewal of that expired firearm license, or the licensing of a loose firearm, you'll be pleased to know that the process is no longer as inconvenient and time-consuming as it was in the past.

Unfortunately, I don't get to use my guns as often as I did before. Some years ago I was a member of couple of gun clubs, and I often visited firing ranges in an effort to improve my pistol proficiency. In recent years, the rising costs of permits as well as that of ammunition put a damper on that hobby of mine, so for the moment I keep them at home for personal defense. Thankfully, there has never been a need for me to resort to them. Hopefully, I never will.

Please take note that guns are not toys and are in fact highly dangerous implements, which should be respected and treated as such. All gun owners should exercise responsible ownership, for their own safety, as well as for the safety of those around them.

Receiving area of the FED.


Gun owners waiting their turn.