PNP arrested 971 election gun ban violators from Jan. 12 – Feb. 16

Headquarters of the Philippine National Police and its logo. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Authorities arrested 971 individuals who reportedly violated the election gun ban, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported on Monday.

PNP said the figure was monitored from January 12 to February 16 and came from the National Election Monitoring Action Center’s latest data.

READ: Gun ban starts January 12 as election period begins – PNP

Of the 971 gun ban violators, 921 are civilians, 22 are security guards, eight are Armed Forces of the Philippines personnel, and five are policemen.

The report showed that most violators were monitored in Metro Manila with 290, followed by Central Luzon with 149, and Calabarzon with 82.

It also revealed that the Commission on Elections has so far conducted checkpoints and police operations that resulted in the confiscation of 962 firearms.

Last January 12, the PNP started implementing a nationwide gun ban as the election period begins for the upcoming May 2025 polls.

The police force said the imposition of a gun ban aims to ensure peace and order, as the government believes it could lessen violence during the upcoming midterm polls.