MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Erwin Tulfo is pushing for tougher accountability for firearm owners and legal custodians whose negligence allows children to gain access to guns, arguing that gun ownership must come with a clear legal responsibility to keep firearms out of unauthorized hands.
Tulfo renewed the call after two recent school shootings in Tacloban City and Zamboanga City put renewed scrutiny on how minors were able to obtain firearms traced to adult family members.
In a privilege speech, Tulfo questioned where responsibility should fall when a legally owned firearm is improperly secured, ends up in the hands of a child and is then used to seriously injure or kill someone.
The senator has called for legislation that would make negligent firearm owners or custodians criminally liable in circumstances where their failure to properly secure a weapon contributes to violent acts.
The proposal comes as government officials and lawmakers increasingly focus on firearm accessibility as a major prevention issue following the two school tragedies.
TWO SCHOOL SHOOTINGS PUT GUN STORAGE UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
Tulfo cited the June 22 shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, where three students were killed and others were injured after two minors entered the school armed with firearms.
One of the firearms was traced to a police officer who was an aunt of one of the suspects, according to reports cited by Tulfo.
He also pointed to the August 18 shooting at Ateneo de Zamboanga University, where a junior high school student brought firearms onto campus. The incident left students dead and injured others before the shooter died by suicide.
According to Tulfo’s account, the firearms were registered to the student’s father, a Bureau of Customs official.
The senator said the incidents should not simply become statistics or headlines, but should trigger a serious examination of how firearms are stored inside homes and other places where minors may potentially access them.
THE BIG LEGAL QUESTION: WHEN DOES NEGLIGENCE BECOME CRIMINAL LIABILITY?
Tulfo’s proposal touches on a significant gap that government officials have already raised.
In June, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla called for stronger laws that would impose criminal responsibility on firearm owners when their registered guns are used by others because of negligent storage or handling.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government said existing rules under Republic Act No. 10591, the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, do not explicitly establish criminal liability simply because another person uses an owner’s firearm to commit a crime.
Remulla urged Congress to strengthen the rules governing firearm ownership, including criminal provisions involving the illegal use or transfer of firearms.
That means Tulfo’s latest push is part of a broader government discussion rather than an isolated proposal.
PNP ALSO WANTS STRONGER FIREARM SAFETY REQUIREMENTS
The Philippine National Police has separately expressed support for efforts to make gun owners more accountable when firearms are not properly secured.
The PNP has backed proposals requiring firearms, particularly in households with children, to be kept in secure, tamper-resistant storage. Proposed measures have also included inspections and verification of compliance during firearm-license renewals.
PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. has also called for stronger gun-safety education for people applying for or renewing licenses to own and possess firearms.
The concern is straightforward: if unauthorized access can be prevented before a firearm reaches a child, a tragedy may never happen.
WHY THE PROPOSAL COULD BECOME A MAJOR POLICY FIGHT
The debate is not simply about whether gun owners should be responsible. The more difficult question is how far criminal responsibility should extend.
Under the proposed approach, authorities would have to distinguish between an intentional transfer of a firearm and genuine negligence—for example, a weapon allegedly left unsecured where a minor could access it.
That distinction could become critical if Congress moves toward legislation that imposes criminal penalties.
Remulla previously said firearm owners whose weapons are obtained and used by other people because of carelessness can currently face liability under existing legal provisions, but officials have argued that the framework does not go far enough to directly address negligent ownership.
MORE THAN A GUN-CONTROL DEBATE
The issue has now expanded beyond firearm ownership.
Following the Zamboanga shooting, senators and government officials have also called for stronger school security, improved counseling and mental-health support, closer monitoring of threats and additional safeguards for children exposed to violent online content.
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, Sen. Risa Hontiveros and other lawmakers have raised separate concerns involving online safety and the exposure of minors to harmful or violent material.
The Palace has likewise said authorities are reviewing security measures in schools and emphasized prevention, threat assessment and coordination with police.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Tulfo has cited several measures connected to the recent school shootings, including Proposed Senate Resolution No. 487, which seeks an investigation into the Tacloban incident, Proposed Senate Resolution No. 607 concerning the Zamboanga shooting, and Senate Bill No. 2411, or the proposed Schools Security and Safety Act of 2026.
For now, Tulfo’s call for criminal liability is a legislative proposal—not a new criminal offense already in force.
But the political pressure is growing.
With the PNP backing stronger firearm-safekeeping measures and the DILG previously calling for criminal accountability for negligent gun owners, Congress is facing a question that could reshape the responsibilities attached to legal firearm ownership:
If a licensed gun owner fails to secure a firearm and a child uses it to hurt or kill someone, should negligence remain primarily a civil or administrative matter—or should it become a criminal offense?
That is the debate now moving to the center of the country’s response to the recent school shootings.
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