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‘Probe firearm permits’
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Posted on Apr 30 2005
The Department of Public Safety issued at least 20 firearms permits this year without imposing the required safety education class, according to Saipan Rep. Ramon Tebuteb, who is now pushing for a legislative probe on the matter.
Tebuteb, during a session Thursday, called on the House Committee on Judicial and Government Operations to look into the alleged violation of Public Law 14-51, which requires a mandatory firearm safety education class to all gun owner applicants.
“The information I gathered is that DPS issued out permits, about 20 of them, without requiring applicants to attend the mandatory class,” said the congressman, who authored House Bill 14-209, which became P.L. 14-51.
In an interview, Tebuteb said he got the information from DPS itself.
“I called them and that’s what I’m told—that permits have been issued in the last couple of weeks. Now, I’m not aware of a class being conducted yet. What I want is for the House committee to verify this,” he said.
Tebuteb said that, if this is true, he would push for a recall of the permits.
“If applicants were given the permits without the mandatory firearm education, I want DPS to recall the permits,” he said.
P.L. 14-51 was signed in January this year.
The mandatory class is part of the government’s goal to equip gun users with the necessary knowledge on firearms’ use to ensure public safety and protection.
The CNMI also implements the Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program initiated by the Department of Justice, to combat gun-related violence. The initiative seeks to commit $558 million over two years to reduce gun violence in states and territories.
Last year, DPS said that about 5,000 locks were available for distribution on Guam, and some of them were given to the CNMI.
As of last year, there were 1,990 registered firearms in the CNMI, with 1,660 on Saipan, 222 on Rota, and 108 on Tinian.
