Torre considers making gun permits easier to renew, access

A firing range

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police is eyeing a more streamlined process for renewing permits to carry firearms outside residence (PTCFOR).

PNP chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III made this known in an interview with reporters at the PNP Press Corps Shootfest in Quezon City on Friday.

“I will be talking to the CSG (Civil Security Group) to make the renewal, and even the procurement, then the PTCFOR, more accessible to our fellow citizens,” Torre said.

“The people who are interested in owning and possessing firearms, and even carrying them outside of their residence, once they just pass the stringent requirements of the law, well, I see no reason for them to be denied that privilege,” he noted.

READ: PNP clarifies nationwide audit of licensed firearms for 2025 elections

According to the PNP, among the requirements for a civilian to apply for a PTCFOR are a license to own and possess a firearm (LTOPF), the registration certificate or identification card for the firearm, and a threat assessment from the intelligence unit of the local police in the applicant’s community.

If the applicant’s LTOPF was issued a year or more before the renewal period, they will also be required to submit a national police clearance and undergo a drug test.

Torre’s plan comes two days after the lifting of the gun ban in connection with the 2025 elections.

READ: PNP logs over 3,600 violators of 2025 election gun ban

The PNP previously said it recorded over 3,600 individuals who were caught circumventing the prohibition on firearms.

“You know, whether there is a gun ban or not, it’s all the same. The prevailing laws are still there,” the PNP chief stressed, referring to Republic Act 10951 or the Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act./apl/dm