Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare, and Rural Development Chairman Erwin Tulfo has urged parents and guardians to strengthen communication lines with their children and avoid relying solely on technology to monitor their well-being.
This comes after a gun was found inside the bag of a Grade 9 student in Pinamungajan, Cebu— just days after the tragic shooting at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University (ADZU) that left two schoolchildren dead and nine others injured.
Authorities reported that the said gun retrieved in Cebu belonged to the student’s grandfather.
“It really starts at home.”
“It really starts at home. What made these kids think that it’s alright to bring weapons at school?” Tulfo said.
“This should be a lesson for everybody, for every parent, guardian out there. Please, please talk to your children, talk to your child. We should ask if they’re okay and really know what’s going on inside their mind,” the legislator added.
The lawmaker emphasized that no child is naturally born violent saying, “there are so many instances that can trigger their violence and we cannot guide them toward the right track if we do not start dealing with them genuinely”.
“Parents and guardians who are firearm holders must be held accountable, especially those who negligently leave the weapons within children’s reach.”
Addressing the alarming gun access of children, the senator stressed that parents and guardians who are firearm holders must be held accountable, especially those who negligently leave the weapons within children’s reach.
He then announced that legislation is underway to impose criminal liability to negligent gun owners and custodians.
“We cannot wait for another fatality or more collateral damage. There has to be a law that will strengthen the existing framework on firearm ownership,” Tulfo stated.
“The intention is clear: ensure that every child will not have access to a firearm, gun-owning parents and guardians practice responsible ownership, and that no firearm entrusted to either a public or private individual, will ever become an instrument of tragedy in the hands of a child,” he concluded.
