PHILIPPINE National Police chief, Director General Alan LM Purisima yesterday ordered a crackdown on thousands of “ghost” gun holders or those who are keeping licensed firearms of their deceased relatives without informing the PNP Firearms and Explosives Office.

“I’m asking the heirs and relatives of deceased gun-holders to surrender those firearms to the police as they will face criminal charges once the weapons are recovered from their possession thru the service of search warrants,” the PNP chief said.

Gen. Purisima said that thru the PNP Oplan Katok or “house-to-house” visit being made on holders of firearms with unrenewed FEO licenses, they have discovered that thousands of licensed gun holders are already deceased.

Officials earlier said that efforts of the PNP to account for an estimated 500,000 loose firearms are being hampered by the failure of heirs of deceased licensed gun holders to inform the PNP-FEO headed by Chief Supt. Raul D. Petrasanta of the death of their relatives.

As a rule, heirs are required to immediately report the death of the licensee to the PNP-FEO so that the firearm can either be transferred to their name thru legal means or surrendered to authorities for safekeeping.

In Western Visayas alone, Police Regional Office 6 director, Chief Supt. Agrimero A. Cruz Jr. said his Task Force Armas has discovered that 852 firearms holders who failed to renew their licenses were already dead.

Purisima said the number of gun ban violators accosted since last January 13 has already breached the 100 mark on Monday.

He said 95 of the violators were civilians while four are public officials and another is a member of the Armed Forces.

The gun ban enforcement over the past one week also led to the seizure of 88 assorted firearms, 25 of them high-powered and 63 low-powered and nine grenades.