The Philippine National Police (PNP) will start implementing a nationwide six-month gun amnesty this month.

The gun amnesty will cover firearms that are unlicensed and with expired registration. This is in accordance to the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No.10591 or otherwise known as the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act. The law was passed May last year and the IRR was issued last November putting the law into effect.

Reports indicate that there are over 1.7 million registered firearms in the country and over 600,000 firearms with expired licenses.

All gun owners who have unregistered firearms or have expired registration are advised to avail of the amnesty and update their firearm registration to avoid stricter penalties.