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MANILA — A Canadian man on Tuesday opened fire in a central Philippine courtroom, killing two people and wounding another before he was shot by a police officer.
MANILA — A fatal shooting in a central Philippine courtroom on Tuesday added impetus to a growing national debate over firearms regulation in a country with an enthusiastic gun culture much like America’s.
The incident marks the latest in a series of high-profile shootings in the Philippines that have prompted calls for greater controls on gun ownership.
Calls for tighter controls have been prompted by a series of shootings in the last few weeks, starting with the Jan. 2 death of a 7-year-old girl who was one of about 40 people around the country hit accidentally by celebratory New Year’s gunfire. On Jan. 4, a failed local candidate opened fire on his village neighbors, killing 8 people — including a pregnant woman and child — and wounding 10. Then a gun battle at a police roadblock on Jan. 6 left 13 dead.
Private gun ownership is legal but regulated in the Philippines and the country has an enthusiastic gun culture, similar to that of the United States though on a much smaller scale.
On Tuesday, a Canadian man, John Pope, opened fire in a courtroom in Cebu, killing a neighbor with whom he had a legal dispute and the neighbor’s lawyer. He also wounded another person before dying of a gunshot wound; officials gave varying accounts about whether Mr. Pope had shot himself or had been hit by police fire.
In light of recent mass shootings, a single attack is “not news anymore,” said Nandy Pacheco, head of Gunless Society, which advocates tighter controls on firearms.
Filipino law allows citizens — but not foreigners — to keep guns at home, subject to registration and background-check requirements, and target shooting is a popular pastime. The country’s president, Benigno S. Aquino III, enjoys sport shooting.
The gun control debate was revived in the Philippines on Jan. 2 when a 7-year-old girl in Manila died after being hit in the head by a stray bullet during celebratory New Year’s gunfire. She was one of about 40 people nationwide hit by stray bullets during the holiday.
Guns can usually be carried in public with a permit, but a temporary ban has been imposed in the hope of curtailing violence associated with national elections scheduled for May.
Two days later, an official in a village south of Manila, suspected by the police to have been using methamphetamines, opened fire on his neighbors with a .45 caliber pistol. He killed 8 people — including a pregnant woman and a child — and wounded 10.
The country’s gun controls are not well enforced, said Norman Cabrera, secretary-general of the Ang Kapatiran Party, which supports tighter screening for gun permits and longer jail terms for gun crimes.
On Jan. 6, the Philippine military and police waged a gun battle with criminal suspects that left 13 dead at a roadblock about 100 miles south of Manila in Quezon Province. The circumstances surrounding the shootout led to allegations that the police and military used excessive force and the national government is investigating.
“You can go to any gun store and buy a firearm, and they will do all the paperwork for you,” Mr. Cabrera said. “You come back in a week, and you have your gun, your license — even your psychiatric test is completed for you. All these things can be worked out for you by the gun store.”
In the incident Tuesday in Cebu, the police said that the gunman, John Pope, smuggled two pistols into a court hearing involving a dispute with his neighbor, a surgeon. Mr. Pope opened fire during the proceedings, killing his neighbor and the neighbor’s lawyer and wounding one other person. Mr. Pope died of a gunshot wound but the authorities gave different accounts as to whether he died from police fire or whether he shot himself.
Mr. Cabrera acknowledged that it would be difficult to pass stricter gun laws in the Philippines, where the police estimate that there are 1.2 million registered firearms and about 500,000 unregistered guns in private hands among a population of about 95 million.
It is legal for Filipino citizens to keep a gun at home, although foreigners are prohibited from doing so. However, the weapons must be registered and background checks are required before a gun can be purchased. Guns generally may be carried in public if permits are obtained but a nationwide temporary ban on carrying guns in public has been imposed to curtail violence associated with national elections in May.
“We have many influences from the United States; the gun culture is one of these influences,” Mr. Cabrera said. “Unfortunately, the Philippines has adopted one of the things that is not good about the United States — its love for guns.”
Though there are gun control laws on the books, they are not well-enforced, said Norman Cabrera, secretary-general of the Ang Kapatiran Party — also known as the Alliance for the Common Good — which supports longer jail terms for gun crimes and tighter screening procedures.
Ernesto Tabujara, who heads a major gun rights group, Peaceful Responsible Owners of Guns, said gun ownership is a necessity in the Philippines,. “We have rampant crime, and the police and military are often involved,” he said. “We are not as passionate about our guns as Americans. We just want to survive.”
“You can go to any gun store and buy a firearm and they will do all the paperwork for you,” said Mr. Cabrera. “You come back in a week and you have your gun, your license, even your psychiatric test is completed for you. All these things can be worked out for you by the gun store.”
Nandy Pacheco, the head of Gunless Society, an advocacy group, noted ruefully that mass shootings had been so frequent lately that an episode like the courtroom shooting “is not news any more.” But it was not clear whether the revived debate over guns would yield any government action.
Mr. Cabrera acknowledged that passing stricter gun control laws is a challenge in the Philippines, where shooting ranges are popular and it is not unusual to see vehicles sporting stickers that state “Baby on Board,” with an image of an assault rifle.
“People are talking about it, and legislators are talking about it,” Mr. Cabrera said. “But we don’t know if in a few weeks or months this will die down.”
“In the Philippines, we have many influences from the United States. The gun culture is one of these influences,” said Mr. Cabrera. “Unfortunately, the Philippines has adopted one of the things that is not good about the United States: its love for guns.”
Ernesto Tabujara, who heads the organization Peaceful Responsible Owners of Guns, said gun ownership is a necessity in the Philippines. “We have rampant crime and the police and military are often involved,” said Mr. Tabujara. “We are not as passionate about our guns as Americans. We just want to survive.”
Mr. Tabujara said his organization supports the licensing of guns and screening for ownership, but that the group vehemently opposes any restrictions on legal ownership and the right to carry a licensed firearm.
“What happened in Cebu is proof that gun bans don’t work,” said Mr. Tabujara. “He was able to bring an illegal gun into a courtroom and the victims were not able to defend themselves.”
There are about 1.2 million registered firearms and about 500,000 unregistered guns in the Philippines, which has a population of almost 95 million, according to estimates from the police.
It is not clear if the recent shooting incidents will result in stricter national gun control laws. The country’s popular president, Benigno S. Aquino III, is a sport shooting enthusiast who recently stated his opposition to the banning of private gun ownership.
“People are talking about it and legislators are talking about it,” said Mr. Cabrera. “But we don’t know if in a few weeks or months this will die down.”
