An organization of firearms dealers in the country expressed concern over the government’s gun amnesty program which will be implemented in October this year, saying that the strategy of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in its campaign on loose firearms would only benefit gun smugglers.

Lawyer Hector Rodriguez, president Association of Firearms and Ammunition Dealers (AFAD), said that the PNP should have learned its lesson when the eight gun amnesty programs they implemented in the past did not yield positive results.

“As in all amnesty programs in the past, there has not really been an indication that it has deterred criminal elements from illegal use of firearms,” said Rodriguez.

It would be recalled that even Director General Jesus Verzosa, PNP chief, admitted that the recent gun amnesty program, which was implemented last year, was a failure in terms of accounting for the estimated 1.1 million loose firearms in the country.

But as the month-long gun amnesty program was already been approved by President Arroyo under Executive Order 817, Rodriguez called on the PNP to make distinction of the type of firearms to be licensed and documented during the amnesty.

“First of all, there should be distinction made between an unregistered or an unlicensed firearm per se and a firearm with an expired license. The latter should not be considered ‘loose’ in its strict meaning and should be given separate treatment,” said Rodriguez.