By Tracy Cabrera
In apparent reaction to the spate of school violence perpetuated by students who use the firearms owned by their parents, the Philippine National Police (PNP) is now requiring gun owners to submit a photo of their
firearm storage facility as part of the requirements in securing a new license or renewing their permits for ownership.
According to the PNP’s Firearms and Explosives Office (PNP-FEO), private individuals applying for or renewing a license to own and possess firearms must now submit a photo showing their gun vault as a measure to avoid untoward incidents like children or young adults gaining access to their licensed firearms.
In a recent advisory, the PNP-FEO announced that firearm license applicants must declare that proper storage and safety measures are available for their weapons before their License to Own and Possess Firearms application can be approved.
“Please be informed that effective October 5, 2026, the Firearms and Explosives Office Form No. 1 (Revision – September 2026) and Firearms and Explosives Office Form No. 2 (Revision – September 2026) application forms shall be used for all new and renewal LTOPF transactions,” the advisory stated.
Applicants must also submit a photo of themselves with their firearm vault or storage container which must be secured by a lock and key along with the other documentary requirements.
“The requirement to safely store firearms itself is not new. Existing firearms regulations already require holders of Type 1 to Type 5 licenses to keep their guns in a vault or container secured by lock and key or other appropriate security measures,” PNP-FEO chief Brigadier General Melecio Buslig Jr. pointed out.
However, under the new FEO policy, documentary proof of compliance has been added to the application process.
General Buslig explained that the stricter requirement comes after the recent series of fatal school shootings linked to minors’ use of firearms licensed to adults.
In the June 22 shooting at the San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, one of the two minor suspects used a Glock pistol issued to his aunt who is a police officer. The officer later told a Senate inquiry that the gun had been kept in a locked plastic locker rather than a safety vault.
In August, a student who carried out another shooting at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University used two firearms belonging to his father, a Customs police officer. The Bureau of Customs confirmed that one was agency-issued while the other was the father’s licensed personal firearm.
A third school shooting in Banga, South Cotabato last September 18 involved a licensed firearm owned by the shooter’s father, a Department of Education employee. Authorities said the firearm had been kept in a vault that the student was able to open or break into.
Reacting to these incidents, interior secretary Juanito Victor ‘Jonvic’ Remulla Jr. has proposed allowing police to inspect the homes of licensed gun owners to verify proper storage, arguing that firearm ownership in the Philippines is a privilege that carries strict responsibilities.
Secretary Remulla later clarified that the proposed inspections would require gun owners to consent through a waiver and receive prior notice.
