Group Needs Guns To Enforce Intellectual Property Rights

[haldir]

As a nationwide gun ban took effect yesterday in the Philippines to reduce political violence as the country’s elections draw near, an anti-piracy group has asked for an exemption. Their director says that having firearms is essential for holding investigations and enforcing intellectual property rights.

Elections in the Philippines have a history of being violent affairs. As recently as 2007, a convoy of 40 people was hijacked by gunmen, resulting in the deaths of 13 women and 8 men. Some of the victims were beheaded and mutilated.
As May’s elections draw closer, already there have been reports of killings and attacks on candidates, many of them with firearms. In order to dampen down this violence, the government implemented a nationwide firearms ban yesterday, setting up 3,500 checkpoints staffed by 100,000 soldiers and police officers.
Quite wisely these uniformed individuals are now the only people allowed to carry guns and even off-duty policemen must comply – already 3 government officials have been arrested for breaches. There is one group, however, who think these temporary laws shouldn’t apply to them.
The Optical Media Board (OMB), a civilian outfit which tries to combat piracy and copyright violations, has written to the Commission on Election asking that its officers be given an exemption from the ban.
According to OMB executive director Anthony Liongson, his staff need firearms for conducting investigations, carrying out raids and for other activities related to tackling piracy and violations of intellectual property rights.
Liongson put forward the names of 150 of his staff who he wants to be exempted from the law and allowed to carry pistols, revolvers, shotguns and rifles. Amazingly some staff have up to seven firearms.
It seems pretty clear that the government is serious about this firearms ban and avoiding bloodshed, but surely, fighting the non-violent act of disc copying shouldn’t warrant an exemption. Or should it?
People use weapons to fight over oil almost constantly, so since intellectual property is now the oil of the 21st century, perhaps this is the appropriate response after all……

 

[rambone]

As a nationwide gun ban took effect yesterday in the Philippines to reduce political violence...

What a sad day for the Philippines.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

This is carrying only, correct?

rhino, are you in communication with people back home?

 

[rambone]

Looks like it has been debated for some time. Here is an article supporting gun ownership, from 2006.

Violent crime spurs push for gun ownership in Philippines

Aug 10, 2006 | Mynardo Macaraig

Philippine lawyer Johnmuel Mendoza vividly recalls the day his gun saved his life.

He was sitting in his pick-up truck in a Manila suburb when a deranged man appeared out of nowhere and started attacking his car with a metal pipe.

"As he was about to smash my windshield I took out my gun and told him to stop," Mendoza recalls.

At the sight of the gun the man came to his senses, dropped the pipe and fled.

Today, Mendoza uses the lessons of that incident as president of PROGUN, perhaps the only organization in Asia fighting for the right of private citizens to own guns.

The fear of being mugged, raped or murdered in a country with an annual murder rate approaching 10,000 and where violent crime is endemic has seen thousands of Filipinos seeking to arm themselves for protection.

PROGUN, which stands for "Peaceful Responsible Owners of Guns," is the organization that tries to assure they can legally get those guns.

Thousands of people descended on a recent gun show in Manila, looking for an edge in the game of survival being played out in the urban jungle that is the Philippine capital.

They ogled, handled and peered into the crosshairs of the products on display -- revolvers, pistols and shotguns, both locally-made and imported, with an emphasis on weapons for self-defense rather than hunting or sport.

The stars of the show were a locally-made shotgun designed to look like a shortened assault rifle, along with various handguns that are small enough to hide in a pocket.

PROGUN looks to the US firearms rights group, the National Rifle Association (NRA) as a model but its officers know they do not have the resources, the political clout or the legal grounds enjoyed by the US lobby powerhouse.

Mendoza concedes that "getting a firearms license is not a right, it is a privilege" in the Philippines whose constitution, unlike the US, does not guarantee the right to bear arms.

Instead, the law only allows qualified Filipinos to own shotguns, .22 calibre rifles and certain types of handguns -- and only if they comply with a numerous requirements for a firearms license.

This includes taking a drugs test, getting approvals from various law-enforcement agencies and submitting documents showing they are gainfully employed. They also have to shell out 4,000 pesos (77.10 dollars) in fees, which excludes the cost of the firearm.

Even then, the gun owner is not allowed to take his firearm outside. It requires another permit -- with more fees -- just to take it to the firing range for practice shooting.

-- Loose firearms --
Despite all the obstacles and expense, many Filipinos still seek to own guns, partly for the macho image they exude but also because they feel they need the protection in a country where violent crime is a serious threat.

In recent months, activists, journalists, lawyers, judges and even politicians have been gunned down in the streets. Many of these crimes go unpunished by a police force that is considered too poorly equipped to deter crime or in some cases, even in cahoots with criminals.

For the first half of 2006, police statistics show there were 4,894 killings, 6,309 physical injuries inflicted in attacks, 1,352 rapes and 3,770 armed robberies reported nationwide. Officials concede that there are many other crimes that simply go unreported.

Sources at the national police Firearms and Explosives Division say there are 100,000 "loose" or unlicensed firearms in the Philippines.

Some are in the hands of criminals or communist rebels, but many are also held by ordinary citizens who refuse to put up with the expense and bother of licensing them, the sources said.

In contrast, there are about 900,000 licensed or authorized firearms including those issued to security forces.

PROGUN, founded in 1987 as a non-political citizen's group, has been pushing to make it easier for citizens to own and carry guns, arguing that if licensing was cheaper and more convenient, there would be less "loose firearms".

Most of its funding comes from its members with occasional contributions from benefactors like firearms dealers.

Although it has few allies in the legislature, PROGUN does not take an antagonistic attitude towards the government or the police who are in charge of issuing licenses.

The organization has sponsored gun-safety and familiarization seminars and worked with anti-crime groups as well as with the heads of the national police to ensure that firearms are not used improperly and to get a wider voice in the public debate.

Mendoza says the group isn't seeking the right to own more powerful firearms like assault rifles. Its main priority now is just "a more efficient gun licensing system."

Mendoza concedes they face stiff opposition from church-funded groups that want to ban private ownership of firearms but he isn't deterred.

He has obtained a permit to carry a gun due to threats from people opposed to his clients.

Contractor Arnel Dolon doesn't even own a gun but he signed up with PROGUN anyway in anticipation of buying a firearm.

"I'm not crazy about guns," he says but remarks, "it can be dangerous to work in construction".

"There have been cases where our payroll was robbed. There have also been cases where drunks harass you, or even disgruntled employees," he says.

Here's an article from 2009 against gun ownership. Interesting to note that gun registration happened before the (inevitable) push for confiscation.

Philippines needs tougher gun laws, police say

Mon May 18, 2009 6:28am EDT

MANILA, May 18 (Reuters) - The Philippines, which has more gun-related deaths than any other country in Asia relative to its size, needs tougher gun control laws as the number of illegal weapons has topped one million, a police general said on Monday.

More than half of the estimated 2 million revolvers, pistols, shotguns and assault rifles in the Philippines, a country of 90 million people, are believed to be unregistered and illegal, Chief Superintendent Reynaldo Rafal told reporters.

About 70 percent of small arms are in the hands of civilians and 80 percent of the illegal weapons are concentrated in restive provinces on the southern island of Mindanao -- Basilan, Jolo and Tawi-tawi.

"In some communities, particularly in Mindanao, guns have almost become a fashion accessory to display power and authority," Rafal said.

"There's a need to account for all firearms in the country." He said the number of small arms has grown about 10 percent since 2007, matched by an increase in gun-related violence in the country. In 2008, more than 1,000 deaths were reported due to unregistered guns, he added.

In 2006, 98.9 percent of 3,540 crimes reported used unlicensed guns, Rafal said. In 2007, the rate went up to 99.1 percent of 5,228 gun-related crimes and 99.5 percent of 5,999 gun-related crimes last year.

The International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA), a non-government organisation, says the Philippines ranked 10th in the list of countries across the globe with the highest number of gun-related killings.

Colombia has the highest with 50 deaths per 100,000 people in a year, IANSA said. The Philippines, the only Asian country in the top 20 list, has 9.64 deaths per 100,000 people annually.

Rafal said gun-related violence was expected to rise in the run-up to elections next year.

"Traditionally, we see a rise in gun-related violence during the election period, either to intimidate supporters or eliminate rival candidates," he added.

Jesus Verzosa, head of the 120,000-member national police, said the government was also losing millions of dollars in taxes and duties from the illegal gun trade. Theft from government armouries was also a problem.