The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) backs Senate Bill No. 2501 or the Act Penalizing Willful and Indiscriminate Discharge of Firearms that seeks to impose tougher penalties on violators.
CHR executive director and spokesperson Jacqueline Ann de Guia said any firearms-related violence “threatens the people’s most fundamental human right, the right to life.”
“As gun violence continues to rise, the matter of gun ownership and control is a national concern that needs to be addressed,” De Guia said.
“The government has the obligation to fight actual or foreseeable threats to life and should therefore take measures to protect people from gun violence, even from its own agents and officials,” she added.
She stressed that firearms are not mere playthings and should only be used as a last resort.
Numerous instances in the past have shown how falling bullets fired during celebratory gunfire have injured and even killed innocent individuals, she pointed out.
“Thus, the passage of SBN 2501 is a welcome legislative measure, together with continuing firearm safety education to help protect the fundamental rights of the Filipino people by deterring the number of incidents involving reckless and indiscriminate use of firearms,” De Guia noted