Erwin Tulfo urges better parent-child communication, more accountability for gun owners

Following fatal school shooting incidents, Senator Erwin Tulfo on Sunday called on parents to strengthen communication with their children and for gun owners to be more responsible and held accountable if they fail to do so.

“It really starts at home. What made these kids think that it’s alright to bring weapons at school?” Tulfo said in a press release.

“This should be a lesson for everybody, for every parent, guardian out there. Please, please talk to your children, talk to your child. We should ask if they’re okay and really know what's going on inside their mind,” he added.

The senator’s statement came after the school shooting incident at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University High School Campus, where two students were killed, including the shooter, a 14-year old Grade 8 student.

Then came a few days after, a handgun was recovered from the school bag of a 14-year-old student at Lut-od National High School in Pinamungajan, Cebu.

Tulfo pointed out that no child is naturally born violent.

“There are so many instances that can trigger their violence and we cannot guide them toward the right track if we do not start dealing with them genuinely,” he added.

Aside from calls for more open communication, Tulfo emphasized that firearm holders who negligently leave their weapons accessible must be held accountable.

In the Zamboanga school shooting incident, authorities found that the shooter got his firearms from his father, a Bureau of Customs employee.

“We cannot wait for another fatality or more collateral damage. There has to be a law that will strengthen the existing framework on firearm ownership,” Tulfo said.

He added that that a legislation is already being crafted to impose criminal liability on negligent gun owners and custodians.

“The intention is clear: ensure that every child will not have access to a firearm, gun-owning parents and guardians practice responsible ownership, and that no firearm entrusted to either a public or private individual, will ever become an instrument of tragedy in the hands of a child,” Tulfo said.

Prior to the Ateneo de Zamboanga school shooting, a fatal school shooting incident had occurred in Tacloban, which logged more than 20 victims, three of whom died. —Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo, GMA News