Prohibited Acts and Penalties
- Manufacturing, dealing in, acquiring, disposing, or possessing firearms, parts thereof, ammunition, or manufacturing instruments without compliance with specified legal provisions is punishable upon conviction.
- Imprisonment ranges from one year and one day to five years, or both imprisonment and a fine between one thousand to five thousand pesos, at the court's discretion.
- For possession of more dangerous and military-grade weapons (e.g., rifles, carbines, machine guns, grenades, bombs, artillery), imprisonment ranges from five to ten years.
- Conviction leads to forfeiture of the illegal firearms or ammunition to the Philippine Government.
Prima Facie Evidence Regarding Manufacturing Instruments
- Possession of instruments directly useful in manufacturing firearms or ammunition by persons not engaged in relevant business or employment is considered prima facie evidence that such instruments are intended for illegal manufacture.
Exemption for Voluntary Surrender of Firearms
- Persons possessing prohibited articles may surrender them within a period designated by presidential proclamation without criminal liability.
- This exemption does not protect persons without a license who use such articles unlawfully (outside self-defense) or carry firearms except for surrendering purposes during the designated period.
- The exemption does not affect ongoing court cases for violations of Section 2692 that existed prior to the law's approval.
Temporary Licensing Authority
- The President may authorize government officers or agencies to issue temporary licenses for surrendered firearms for terms not exceeding three months.
Effectivity
- The law took effect immediately upon approval on July 19, 1946.