License to Own and Possess Firearms

With the passing of Republic Act 10591 last May 2013 and the signing of its implementing rules and regulations last December of the same year, the process of acquiring a firearm has completely been changed to reflect the new firearms law. We hope to help you understand the changes in this article and hopefully answer any questions you may have.

If you wish to acquire a firearm for your personal protection, under RA10591 the process will now involve two major steps. The first step would be for the applicant/buyer to acquire a “License to Own and Possess Firearms” (LTOAPF). This will be the buyer’s permit which shows that he/she is allowed to own and possess a firearm and this permit will be issued by the PNP Firearms & Explosives Office (FEO).  Please note that at the moment getting an LTOP will require you to personally appear at the PNP-FEO at Camp Crame in Quezon City to submit your original requirements and have your picture taken. At the time of writing, there are currently no regional or provincial offices outside of Camp Crame that can accept and process your LTOAPF application but according to the PNP in one of their TV appearance they intend to devolve this function to the regional level later on.

Upon the approval of the LTOAPF by the Chief, FEO-PNP, the buyer may now present his new LTOAPF to the gun store of his choice and apply for his/her firearm “registration” for the firearm he has chosen to purchase. Please refer to the graphics below  for the complete list of requirements to apply for a license to own and possess a firearm.

(click for a larger version) 

After getting a suggestion from the officers of the FEO to try the system out, I decided to apply for all my requirements and apply for an LTOAPF that I might be able to give first hand experience to clients who wish to get their own LTOAPF.

1. Accomplished Application Form: Unlike before, the current LTOAPF application form is no longer issued by the FEO. The new forms can now be downloaded from the FEO web site. Just print and fill the form up. For your convenince, a copy can be downloaded here as the FEO site is sometimes down and cannot be accessed.

My LTOAPF application form

Fill up 3 copies, handwritten or type written shouldn’t matter, and attach (with glue and not a staple) a 2×2 picture white background on each copy.

2. The Regional Trial Court and Municipal Trial Court clearance (RTC/MTC) is issued by the MTC and RTC at your area of residence. If you live in a major city, most likely your court can be found inside the city hall premises. For those living in the province or municiplities, your MTC can usually be found in the town hall while the RTC is most likely in the province capital. I highly suggest you ask your barangay official first to point you in the right direction as not to waste your time looking for your MTC/RTC. Procedures differ depending on each Local Government Unit (LGU) and what I have written down here is applicable in Parañaque but may not be applicable where you are.

Before you can get your MTC/RTC clearance, you must first obtain a local police clearance. The issuing office for this clearance is normally found in the city hall but again, better to ask first as your police clearance might be issued elsewhere. Bring a copy of your cedula, a copy of your previous police clearance (only if you already have a previous clearance) and a Barangay Clearance. Do not forget to specify the purpose of your police clearance as “for firearms requirement”

After submitting my requirements, I was told by the officer in charge to return the next day to claim said clearance as the chief of their section has to sign it personally. I returned the following day to pick up my signed Police Clearance and immediately proceeded to the MTC section and submitted copies of my ID, cedula and Police Clearance in order to get my MTC clearance (do not forget to specify the purpose). Releasing of the MTC clearance takes just 15 minutes more or less.

After which, I proceeded to the Prosecutor’s office to  get my Prosecutor’s clearance which was a requirement for my RTC clearance. Bring a copy of your Police Clearance, cedula and ID for your Prosecutor (Fiscal) Clearance. Finally, you will need to submit copies of your ID, Police Clearance and Prosecutor’s clearance to the RTC office for your RTC clearance. Releasing of the RTC clearance would take about 20 minutes more or less.

Take note of the validity period of your RTC/MTC clearance. For Parañaque, the RTC clearance is valid for three months while the MTC clearance is valid for six. In Quezon City, both the RTC and MTC clearances are valid for one month only. The same goes for Las Piñas as reported to us by some friends. Because of this, I highly suggest you acquire your drug test and neuro psychiatric clearance first since both are valid for six months.

3. Neuro Psychiatric clearance at the moment may only be taken at the Camp Crame Health Services building or through the regional health services located inside the PNP regional camps. The applicant must first get his Order of Payment, pay at the Landbank where he will be given the Special Bank Receipt (SBR). Take note that you can get an Order of Payment for both your Neuro Psychiatric Test and Drug Test at the same time. This will save you the effort of going back and forth to Land Bank. The said SBR must be returned to the Health Service before you can take the test. Results usually come out 2 to 7 days after the test.

4. Drug Test clearance can only be conducted by the PNP Crime Laboratory in Camp Crame or their respective office in the regional PNP Crime Labs for those in the province. The applicant must personally proceed to Camp Crame to get his his Order of Payment, pay at the Landbank where he will be given the Special Bank Receipt (SBR), submit the SBR to the Crime Lab and finally take the test. Results usually come out 2 to 7 days after the test.

(I myself took the tests during the Defense and Sporting Arms Show last November which saved me a lot of time and effort. I highly suggest that you get your requirements there should the organizers of the Defense and Sporting Arms Show decide to partner with the PNP again to hold the One Stop Shop.)

5.  Gun Safety Seminar: According to the EEMB, FEO-PNP (as of March 2014) at the moment there are only 4 gun clubs accredited to issue the Gun Safety and Responsible Gun Ownership Seminar (GSS). They are: P.B. Dionisio, Jethro Intl., Tough Guys and Tactical Edge. I got my GSS certificate from Jethro Intl. after going through the written exam and actual firing test.

Westpoint Gun Club (Jethro Intl.) Gun Safety Exam Sheet

 6. National Police Clearance: Since the national police clearance is not yet up and running, the FEO accepts the Directorate for Intelligence Clearance issued at Camp Crame. Just bring your cedula to get your DI Clearance.

7. NSO Birth Certificate: NSO Citizen Services offers online birth certificate processing and delivery. Just go to their website and fill up the necessary forms. Click submit when you have entered all your information and you may choose to pay with your credit card, Bancnet ATM, over the counter through Metro Bank branches or at your nearest Bayad Center. Upon payment, just wait for your Birth Certificate to be delivered.

NSO Online: Order Online, Pay Online, Wait for Delivery. Government service without the hassle.

8. Proof of Billing: The proof of billing can be the applicant’s utility bills, credit card bill, bank statements, etc. The important thing about your proof of billing is that it should show the client’s name and the address where the firearm is to be registered.

9. Proof of Identification: Company ID, Postal ID, etc. Only photocopies are required.

10. Government Issued Identification: Any government issued ID which includes but is not limited to the buyer’s driver’s license, passport, SSS, GSIS, etc. Photocopies only.

11. Proof of Qualification: For businessmen, this is usually your SEC or DTI Registration or your Business Permit or the Income Tax Return (BIR form 1702) of your business. As for private employees, please bring an original Certificate of Employment or your Income Tax Return. Photocopies will be accepted except for the Certificate of Employment.

Upon completion of all the requirements listed, bring the original (unless indicated otherwise) documents to the FEO in Camp Crame and submit for briefing and encoding. If the briefer finds that you have submitted the complete documents, your papers will be scanned into their database for processing. Within 20 minutes, you will be issued your temporary LTOAPF and you will now be able to go to your preferred gun store to purchase your firearm.

My approved temporary License to Own and Possess Firearm

Here’s a map of Camp Crame to help you locate the offices you will be going to.

Hope I was able to explain the new process clearly. Should you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us any time and we will try our best to address your concerns.