SOP Library
SOP NO:
GS-SS04
(List of Exhibits/Attachments)
Mission
:
Support Staff Services
Area:
Support Staff Services (SS)
Title:
Revised SOP on the Issuance, Repair, Maintenance and Handling of NFA Firearms
Date Approved/Issued:
04/23/2001
Date Effective:
04/23/2001
Digest:
I. TERMS OF REFERENCE
A. Rationale
B. Objective
C. Scope
D. Basis
II. IMPLEMENTING GUIDELINES
A.
General Policies
1.
As a general rule, firearms shall be issued only to officials and employees whose positions or designated functions require the use of firearms in the performance of their duties and responsibilities. No NFA firearms shall be issued to non-NFA officials/employees.
2.
The ARMD-SSD shall be responsible for the control/transfer of NFA service firearms. It shall likewise be responsible for the enforcement of all the rules and regulations herein stated as well as the subsequent promulgation in relation herewith.
3.
All unissued firearms and ammunition shall be kept in the Armory. In Central Office, an Armorer, who shall come from the ARMD-SSD shall be designated. In Regional Offices/Provincial Offices (R.O./P.O.) with no organic guard, the Supply Officer shall act as the designated Armorer. The designated Armorer shall secure Certificate of Attendance in a seminar on Gun Safety and Proper Handling of Firearms from PNP/FED or its accredited training center.
In R.O./P.O. who have no organic guards , the designated Armorer shall be responsible for the safekeeping of firearms and ammunitions. Firearm Safety Vault and/or firearms storage made of concrete and fire proof materials are required for safety of the firearms and ammunitions.
4.
All issuances of firearms shall be accompanied with appropriate ammunition - the quantity of which shall be prescribed under B.10 (Specific Policies).
5.
Only one (1) firearm shall be issued at any time to any qualified NFA official or employee and shall further be limited to the revolver or pistol type, unless otherwise so authorized/approved by the Administrator.
B.
Specific Policies
1.
Qualifications for Issuance of Firearms
a.
The following NFA officials shall be entitled to firearms and ammunitions:
a.1
NFA Administrator;
a.2 NFA Deputy Administrators
a.3
ARMD Department Manager III; and
a.4
ARMD Assistant Department Manager II
b.
Security Personnel
b.1
Chief and Assistant Chief of the ARMD-SSD;
b.2
Security Officers I, II, III of the ARMD-SSD;
b.3
Security Officers/Designated Armorer of the Regional Offices
b.4
Organic Security Guards of NFA
The aforementioned personnel need not submit a written request in order to be issued firearms. It shall come with the function and, as such, the firearm is to be immediately surrendered to the ARMD-SSD Chief/Armorer when such function has ceased.
Firearms issued to physical installations/post shall be the accountability of the concerned security guards (
Exhibit 2
/
Exhibit 2-A
). It shall be covered by a
D
uty
D
etail
O
rder
(
DDO
,
M
emorandum
R
eceipt (
MR
) and duly authenticated Certificate of Registration (
COR
). In case of 2nd or 3rd shifts, the MR shall bear the name of the security guards on duty with their time schedule. In the case of the absence of the assigned Security Guard, the firearm shall be kept at the designated depository of firearm and shall be under the accountability of the
P
ost-
I
n-
C
harge (
PIC
).
Firearms which shall be issued for use within NFA premises only shall always be covered by a
DDO
monthly schedule. In case security officers/guards are assigned outside of the NFA premises or post/installations, a separate
DDO
shall be issued.
c
NFA Executives and Employees with Approved Requests
Through a duly approved request on a case-to-case basis, the following NFA Executives and employees may be issued NFA firearms:
c.1
Assistant Administrators
c.2 Department Managers/Regional Managers
c.3 Assistant Department Managers/Assistant Regional Managers
c.4 Provincial Managers/Division Chiefs and others of equivalent rank
c.5
Other executives and employees (e.g. SEIOs,etc.) whose positions or designated functions require the use of firearms in the performance of their duties and responsibilities.
When there is a shortage of firearms available for issuance, prioritization of issuance shall be according to exigency of requesting official/employee.
However, this privilege may be revoked/cancelled by the Administrator at any time due to violation of the rules and regulations as stated in the
Memorandum Receipt Exhibits 1 and 1-A
.
d.
NFA officials and employees mentioned above should possess the following:
d.1
Certificate of Attendance in a Gun Safety and Proper Handling of Firearms Seminar from PNP/FED or its accredited training center.
d.2 Neuro-psychiatric test from PNP/FED accredited testing center.
2.
Requests for Issuance of Firearms
a.
Requests for issuance of firearms and ammunition shall be addressed to the Administrator through the ARMD Department Manager for evaluation/recommendation.
b.
The request should contain justification/s as to why the requesting official or employee needs the firearm. If the reason is threat to one’s life, the justification should fully describe the graveness of the threat.
3.
Evaluation and Prioritization of Requests
All requests shall be evaluated by the ARMD-SSD. It shall be prioritized based on merit or urgency and availability of the firearms. Those in critical areas and/or those receiving death threats shall have first priority. However, the firearm should be surrendered to the ARMD-SSD when the situation returns to normal and/or the requisitioner transfers to a safer area.
4.
Validity Period of Approval
a. Requests found meritorious shall normally be given a validity period of six (6) months to be recommended by the ARMD Department Manager. Upon the discretion of the Administrator, validity period can be extended beyond six (6) months but not to exceed three (3) years.
b. If the necessity still exists after the specified validity period, the said executive/employee can renew his request subject to the procedures for requesting and approval provided in this SOP.
5.
Approval
a. The recommending and approving authority of the requests shall be as follows:
a.1 Central and Field Office executives with Grade Level 26 and above (Deputy Administrator, Assistant Administrator, Department Manager, Regional Manager)
RA ARMD Department Manager
A Administrator
a.2 Central and Field Office executives with Grade Level 24-25 (Assistant Department Manager, Assistant Regional Manager, Provincial Manager, Division Chief); Central and Field Office rank and file employees:
RA Department Manager /Regional Manager/
Head of Office concerned - through the ARMD
Department Manager III
A Administrator
a.3 All ARMD-SSD personnel qualified for issuance:
RA ARMD-SSD Chief/Assistant Department Manager II
A ARMD Department Manager III
b. ARMD-SSD shall advise the requisitioner of the approval/disapproval of the request.
6.
Types of Issuance
a. Temporary Issuance
a.1 Issuance of firearms to Security Guards manning the posts and installations which shall be for a short duration and not to exceed their tour of duty and/or specific mission.
a.2 All the shifts shall use the same set of firearms and ammunition issued for their posts/installations. Transfers (receipts and returns) shall be recorded in the
Installation Security Logbook
(Exhibit 3 and 3-A). The designated Post-In-Charge (
PIC
) shall supervise the turnover of the firearm/s as well as the accomplishment of entries in the Installation Security Logbook.
a.3 If the number of firearms exceed the number of security guards in a certain shift, the
PIC
shall acknowledge receipt of the excess firearm/s - in addition to the one assigned to him as
PIC
.
b. Long Term Issuance
Subject to Section V.B.1 and V.B.5 hereof, long term issuance of firearms and ammunition under
Memorandum Receipt
(Exhibit 1) shall be extended to the following personnel discharging the functions of:
i. Chief and Assistant Chief of ARMD-SSD
ii. Security Officers I, II, III of ARMD-SSD
iii. Security Officers I of the Regional Offices
iv. NFA Organic Security Guards
v.
Qualified executives/employees with approved requests
7.
Duty Detail Order
(
DDO
) - (Exhibit 2)
a. Firearms which shall be issued for use within NFA premises only (those issued to C.O. security personnel and Regional Security Officers I) shall always be covered by appropriate
DDO
s. The
DDO
for physical installation posts is issued on a monthly basis while in some cases issuance of
DDO
depends on the duration of mission. The duration of the
DDO
shall be at least twenty-four (24) hours except when the security personnel issued the
DDO
is proceeding to their office immediately after the completion of their mission.
b. No
DDO
covering any firearm shall be issued without the duly approved Memo-Receipt for such firearm.
c. All
DDO
s to be issued to ARMD-SSD personnel shall be approved by the ARMD Department Manager.
DDO
s issued in field offices shall be approved by the Regional Manager concerned.
d. All
DDO
s (including the covering Memo-Receipt, the duly authenticated Certificate of Registration and License for the firearm/s) shall be carried at all times by the firearms bearer; it shall also be subject to verification at any time by proper authorities and can also be revoked/cancelled at any time upon the discretion of the approving official.
8.
Permit to Carry Firearms Outside NFA Premises
In addition to the
DDO
requirement of NFA security personnel, NFA firearms which shall be carried or used outside NFA premises or by the NFA executive/employee accountable to that firearm have to be supported by a Permit to Carry Firearms Outside the Residence (
PTCFOR
) pursuant to P.D. 1886. The said executive/employee must secure the
PTCFOR
from the PNP/FED. A copy of the approved permit should be submitted immediately upon receipt to the ARMD-SSD. (The effectivity of the
PTCFOR
is limited to one (1) year).
9,
Endorsement of Firearms to Field Offices
To transfer firearms to the Field Offices - and vice versa - a Permit to Transport/Safe Conduct Pass in the name of the carrier shall be secured from the PNP Office concerned through the ARMD-SSD. The transfer shall be covered by certified photocopies of the Memorandum Receipt and Certificate of Registration.
10.
Issuance of Ammunition
a. Firearms issued to posts/installations shall be initially accompanied with the equivalent of two (2) sets of ammunition plus an additional set for target practice. A set shall refer to the total number of ammunition when the firearm (or its magazine with chamber empty) is fully loaded.
a.1
Pistol @ 7 ammos/magazine or 21 rounds
a.2
Revolver @ 6 ammos/barrel or 18 rounds
a.3
Revolver (.22 Astra) 9 ammos/barrel or 27 rounds
a.4
12 Gauze Shotgun @ 4 rds/full chamber load or 12 ammos
b. Firearms Issued to qualified executives and employees shall be provided with one (1) set of ammunition, while those of the Administrator’s escorts shall be a maximum of two (2) sets.
c. Requests for additional/replacement of ammunition shall be addressed to and approved by the ARMD Department Manager.
d. All requests for replacement of ammunition shall be supported by spent ammunition shells/
casings as waste material.
e. Requests shall be evaluated based on exigency or on the Spot/Incident Report, if any.
The Spot or Incident Report shall be prepared and certified correct by the firearm holder. It shall include, among others, the following information:
I. Reasons behind the use of the firearm;
ii. Persons involved;
iii. Make/brand/type/caliber and serial number of firearm;
iv. Date, place and time of use;
v. Number of rounds/ammunition used;
vi. Explanation - as needed - regarding the lack or
inability to surrender the spent ammunition shells
f. Ammunition not used within one (1) year should be surrendered to ARMD-SSD for replacement with new sets which shall be limited to the same number of pieces of returned ammunition. However, ammunition spent for unauthorized firing and target practice shall not be replenished.
11.
Preventive Maintenance and Repair of Firearms
a. It shall be the responsibility of the firearm holder to clean, maintain and handle the firearm with extreme care.
b. NFA executives/employees who have been issued firearms shall personally shoulder the repair of the firearm issued to them. It shall be their sole responsibility to have the firearm repaired by a gunsmith duly authorized/licensed by the PNP. NFA executives/employees shall be responsible in case of alteration of the original parts except when such parts will be replaced during the repair.
c. Repair of firearms issued to ARMD-SSD personnel damaged in the course of official duty shall be undertaken by the ARMD-SSD. The Armorer shall be responsible for the checking, overhauling and repair of such firearms. Exceptional cases (e.g. those that require hiring a private gunsmith or requires the designated Armorer and Security Officer to repair the firearms issued at the Regional Office, etc.) shall be subject to the ARMD-SSD Chief’s evaluation which shall be based on the following:
c.1 Nature of the repair (minor/major);
c.2 Available resources at Regional Office;
I. Capability of the Regional Office’s designated Armorer and Security Officer to undertake the repair;
ii. Available spare parts from local suppliers at reasonable prices;
iii. Availability of private gunsmith in good standing with the PNP offering services for a reasonable fee.
c.3 The manner in which the repair shall be undertaken redounds to economy and efficiency for the Agency;
I. Time and effort of all concerned;
ii. Accessibility/Proximity of the Field Office to/from NFA Central Office.
d. An investigation should also be conducted as to whether the damage was a result of negligence or a fault of the ARMD-SSD personnel or the NFA executive/personnel issued the firearms. If so, the holder should shoulder the entire cost of the repair of the firearm, including spare parts.
e. Requests for Repair (
Exhibit 4-A
for F.O. - thru wire and
Exhibit 4-B
for C.O.) shall be forwarded to the ARMD-SSD for evaluation. The make/type, caliber, serial number, nature of repair and cause of damage shall be indicated in the request.
In case the repair of firearm is to be done in Manila, the firearm holder shall inform ARMD-SSD immediately. In addition, he shall state in the wire the name of carrier who will transport the firearm to Manila. Permit to Transport/Safe Conduct Pass in the name of the carrier shall be secured from the PNP Office together with the photocopies of Memorandum Receipt and the Certificate of Registration.
f. Request for Repair from Regional Offices (thru wire) should indicate if the designated Armorer and Regional Security Officer I can undertake the repair. If spare parts are needed, the request should indicate if such spare parts are available locally and the canvass of prices should be included. Further, it should indicate if there is a local private gunsmith and the estimated cost of his service.
g. The mode of repair that will be adopted shall be confirmed by the ARMD Department Manager (whether it shall be repaired by the Armorer at C.O./F.O., or by the Security Officer I at the R.O., or by a private gunsmith, etc.). For field offices, the confirmation shall be in wire form.
h. For regional requests,
Exhibit 4-A
shall also be accomplished to serve as endorsement of the firearm from the requisitioner to the Armorer.
I. All repairs in the Central Office that will require replacement and/or purchase of spare parts and those that will be undertaken by a private gunsmith shall be subject to pre-repair inspection by the IAS-Department, Technical Audit Division. Those in the field offices shall be subject to pre-repair inspection by the Administrative Officer. A
Request for Pre-Repair Inspection Form
shall be accomplished (Exhibit 5) together with the RIV.
j. If the repair is to be undertaken by a private gunsmith, receipt of the firearm shall be acknowledged (
Exhibit 6
) by the gunsmith.
k. In returning the repaired firearm to the requisitioner, a
Job Acknowledgment Slip
(Exhibit 7) shall be accomplished.
l. When necessary, substitute firearms may be issued temporarily or permanently by the ARMD-SSD Chief/Armorer to concerned official/employee depending on the duration or extent of the repair. The holder shall only get his original firearm after he returns the substitute firearms.
m. ARMD-SSD Armorer and the designated Regional Armorer shall maintain history card on the repair/maintenance undertaken on the firearm.
12.
Firearms Inventory
The Supply Officer (for Field Offices) and the PMMS-GSD (for Central Office) shall be responsible for the annual inventory taking of firearms.
The Supply Officer shall request firearm holders to present their firearms during the inventory period. The conduct of physical inventory shall follow SOP # GS-PD02 on Fixed Assets Inventory Monitoring and Control System, effective September 13, 1988 and other amendments/addenda thereof. The Supply Officer and PMMS-GSD shall submit to ARMD-SSD a report on
Annual Inventory of Firearms
(Exhibit 8).
13.
Loss of Firearms
a. In case of lost parts, or total loss of the firearm or ammunition, the holder shall be subjected to an investigation, and may be subjected further to proper disciplinary action/sanction depending upon the result of the investigation. If proven that the total loss of the firearm was a result of negligence or fault of the accountable holder, he shall be required to pay its corresponding replacement cost, or restitute the lost/damaged firearm with the same brand/model, make, kind and caliber. (Please see SOP # FS-GP18 on Revised SOP on the Application of Replacement Cost effective December 07, 2000).
b. The license and registration of the lost firearm in the name of NFA should be cancelled and must be reported immediately to the Firearms and Explosives Office (FEO), PNP, Camp Crame by the Armorer or, in his absence, by any personnel designated by the ARMD Department Manager.
14.
The Armory/Armorer
a. Only the designated Armorer/ARMD-SSD Chief shall be allowed entry to the Armory. Other persons with official business in the Armory should always be accompanied by either the Armorer or the ARMD-SSD Chief, as the case may be.
b. The designated Armorer shall be accountable for all firearms and ammunition kept in the armory and shall be responsible for its safekeeping. He shall maintain historical records from date of acquisition thereof and ensure that they remain in good operating condition.
15.
Application For/Renewal of Firearms Certificate of Registration/License
The ARMD-SSD (C.O.)/Designated Armorer (R.O./P.O.) shall be responsible for the application for renewal of Firearms Certificate of Registration/License with the PNP. For this purpose, all original copies of Firearms Certificate of Registration/License shall be kept and maintained by the ARMD-SSD (C.O.) Armorer/Designated Armorer (R.O./P.O.) Only photocopies of the original Certificate of Registration/License duly authenticated/Certified True Xerox Copy by the ARMD-SSD (C.O.) Armorer/Designated Armorer (R.O./P.O.) shall be issued to qualified NFA executives/employees.
16.
Rules in Handling of Firearms
All NFA Security Guards, officials and employees concerned should know and strictly observe the basic rules in the proper handling of firearms as presented in Exhibit I-A. Any violation of these rules will result in immediate revocation of the privilege as well as confiscation of the firearm - without prejudice to administrative/civil/criminal sanctions which the NFA may decide to file against the erring holder/employee.
Hereunder the required documents needed in carrying firearms:
16.1 Memorandum Receipts (duplicate coy)
16.2 Official Receipt (OR) and Application for Firearm License
if the Certificate of Registration (CR) of the Firearm has not been released.
16.3 Certificate of Registration (CR) - duly aunthenticated xerox copy.
16.4 Duty Detail Order (DDO) - original copy
16.5 * Permit to Carry Firearms Outside Residence (
PTCFOR
) - original copy.
*
PTCFOR
- additional requirement for carrying of firearms outside residence.
The foregoing SOP supersedes Part IV of the NFA Security Manual and Chapter 8 of the Policies and Procedures Manual issued June 3, 1982.
All rulings and/or issuances inconsistent herewith are hereby superseded.
III. RESPONSIBILITIES
1.
Shift Supervisor/Patrol Inspector and Post-In-Charge
1.1 Conducts inspection of firearms at different posts/installations
1.2 Responsible for the proper turn-over of firearms on post/
physical installations to the next shift of security guard
1.3 Reports to the Armorer the defects of firearms for repair
1.4 Requests additional firearms/ammunitions when necessary.
2.
Armorer (C.O)
2.1 Prepares RIV for purchase of firearms/ammunitions and submits to GSD-PMSDS
2.2 Prepares and issues Memorandum Receipt (renewal every six
months).
2.3 Prepares Request for License of Firearms/Ammunitions
2.4 Prepares/initials Duty Detail Order
2.5 Prepares and initials Request for Permit to Transport Firearms/Ammunitions
2.6 Conducts daily/monthly physical inventory/inspection of the firearms and ammunitions within C.O. if necessary, for monitoring and controlling functions to ensure that the firearms and ammunitions are at the stated post of assignments in good order and proper condition.
2.7 Conducts preventive maintenance of firearms under his custody and recommend repair when necessary
2.8 Prepares RIV for Repair of Firearms
2.9 Maintains history card on the repairs works done in the
firearms/ammunitions.
2.10 Safekeeps firearms/ammunitions
3.
Supply Officer/Designated Armorer (F.O.)
3.1 Receives/issues firearms and ammunitions
3.2 Prepares Memorandum Receipt (renewal every six months);
3.3 Secures license of firearms (renewal every two (2) years).
Regular license
(RL) for security guards,
Long Certificate of Registration
(LCR) for government officials and employees
3.4 Prepares/requests Permit to Transport Firearms/Ammunitions
3.5 Prepares/initials Duty Detail Order
3.6 Conduct regular inventory/inspection of issued firearms and
ammunitions
3.7 Conduct preventive maintenance of firearm under his custody and
recommend repair when necessary
3.8 Submits monthly inventory report
3.9 Maintains history card on the repairs works done in the
firearms/ammunitions
3.10 Safekeeps firearms/ammunitions
4.
Chief, Security Services Division
4.1 Initials to the recommending approval portion of the DDO
4.2. Recommends approval of Memorandum Receipt
5.
Assistant Department Manager II, ARMD
5.1 Recommends approval of Duty Detail Order.
6.
Department Manager III, ARMD
6.1 Approves the following:
6.1.1 Duty Detail Order
6.1.2 Memorandum Receipt
6.1.3 Request to Permit to Transport of Firearms/Ammunition
IV. FLOW CHART
Top Page
EXHIBITS
Firearms Memorandum Receipt
Firearms - DDO
Exh3 - Firearms
Exhibit 4 -A - Wire - Firearms
Exhibit 4-B - Firearms - Request for Repair
Exhibit 5 - Firearms - Request for Pre-Repair Inspection
Exh. 6 - Firearms - AR
Exhibit 7 - Firearms - JAS
Exh. 8 - Firearms - Annual Inventory of Firearms
Exhibit 2-A-Firearms-DDO Sample Format