Senate bill imposing stiffer penalties vs. indiscriminate gunfire OK'd on 3rd reading

The Senate on Thursday approved on third and final reading a bill which seeks to penalize willful and indiscriminate discharge of firearms including those authorized to bear weapons.

Voting 21-0-0, the senators passed Senate bill 2501 or Act Penalizing Willful and Indiscriminate discharge of firearms, amending Act no. 3815, or the Revised Penal Code.

Under the measure, any person who shall willfully and indiscriminately discharge any firearms or other device that may not have been designed as firearms but can be functionally used as a firearm shall suffer the penalty of arresto mayor in its maximum period unless the facts of the case can be held to constitute any other offenses of which a higher penalty is prescribed.

SB 2501 also includes a penalty to offenders who are members of the military, military auxiliary agencies, or law enforcement agencies authorized to bear arms who may be charged administratively.

Further, the measure calls for the immediate cancellation and revocation of any license or permit granted to the offender and perpetual disqualification of the offender from being granted such.

In his manifestation, Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa, a former chief of Philippine National Police, lauded the approval of the bill saying this measure "protects and gives importance to the lives of every Filipino."

According to PNP's Investigation and Detective Management, there were a total of 195 cases of indiscriminate firing in the country from 2016 to 2021 based on its case monitoring dated November 29, 2021.

The list was topped by Region IV-A or Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon (CALABARZON) with 30 incidents, while the National Capital Region has 23 incidents.

In the said incidents, 18 were committed by the members of the PNP and eight by members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.—LDF, GMA News