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PNP Chief, Director General Jesus A Verzosa, ordered all local police commanders to closely coordinate with school authorities and local government officials to prevent guns and deadly weapons from being brought inside schools.
“While our National Firearms Control Program is now in full swing to account for some 1-million loose firearms, at the same time, we do not want any of these illegal guns to be within the reach of school children and students,” Verzosa said.Verzosa issued these instructions in the wake of Monday’s shooting at the Tondo High School when a 16-year old student was toying with a 9mm improvised pen gun that went off wounding two high school freshmen. Fortunately, there were no fatalities or serious casualties, but the incident should serve as an eye opener for law enforcement, school authorities, community officials, parents and students to keep guns off schools and support the national campaign against loose firearms, the Chief PNP said. “We should not wait for another incident similar to the Columbine massacre in the United States before we act decisively against loose firearms and other instruments of violence and crime. Verzosa made reference to the massacre at the Columbine High School in Colorado on April 20, 1999 when two students brought guns to school and shot dead 12 fellow students and a teacher, and wounded 21 others in what is described as the fourth-deadliest school massacre in US history. In the Tondo High School incident, the 16 year old shooter said he picked up the pen gun while he was on his way to school and decided to bring it inside the campus. |
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