ALTHOUGH they have been required to bear firearms while manning their posts in malls and other shopping establishments to enable them to thwart the presence of armed criminals,  the Philippine National Police are seeing to it that weapons being carried by security guards are duly-licensed and covered with gun ban exemption permits from the Commission on Elections, top officials said yesterday.

Acting on orders of PNP chief Director General Alan LM Purisima, PNP Civil Security Group chief Director Gil C. Meneses said they have stepped-up their on-the-spot inspection of firearms being used by private security guards in Metro Manila and other parts of the country to prevent the possibility that some of them could be unlicensed guns.

“We are doing this in order to have an extensive accounting, inventory and monitoring of firearms currently in the possession of thousands of security guards in Metro Manila and other parts of the country,” said PNP Firearms and Explosives Office director Chief Superintendent Raul D. Petrasanta.

The inspection of the security guards’ weapons is one of the measures being implemented by the PNP-CSG in support to the campaign against loose firearms by the PNP aimed at ensuring the conduct of a safe and honest election in May.

Last week, more than 700 unlicensed assorted firearms belonging to security guards and delinquent firearms holders were seized by the PNP-CSG to prevent the possibility that these guns can turn into an “instrument of violence” during the May elections.  Meneses said 700 of the firearms of various calibers were confiscated by members of the PNP-FEO in line with its ongoing “Oplan Katok” program.

PNP-FEO agents have been knocking on the doors of delinquent firearms’ holders or those who have failed to renew their gun papers thru the years and asking them to renew their licenses.

Those who have failed to renew their licenses after repeated demands face charges for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition since their guns are already considered as loose weapons.  Many have voluntarily turned over their guns with expired licenses to the PNP-FEO after being issued corresponding receipts.