To ensure a clean, honest, orderly, peaceful and credible Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) is set to declare a nationwide firearms ban during the election period of September 29 until November 13, 2007.

Thru a resolution, the COMELEC said "it will supervise and regulate the bearing, possession, use and transport of, and otherwise any dealing with or transaction involving firearms or any other deadly weapons in furtherance of its constitutionally mandated obligation to ensure the holding of a clean, honest, orderly, peaceful and credible elections."

Resolution 8298 promulgated by the Commission en banc on September 7, 2007 states that "no person, including those possessing a permit to carry firearms outside of residence or place of business, shall bear, carry or transport firearms or other deadly weapons in public places including all public buildings, streets, parks, and private vehicles or public conveyances."

"Firearms," the resolution said, includes airgun, side arms, long firearms hand grenades and other deadly explosives except pyrotechnics, while "deadly weapons" includes bladed instruments. Maintaining and organizing reaction forces, strike forces are likewise barred, the COMELEC said.

For this purpose, COMELEC spokesman James Jimenez called on all gun owners to file their applications for exemption with the COMELEC's Committee on Gun Ban at the poll body's main office in Intramuros, Manila.

Regional Gun Ban Committees consisting of the Regional Election Director as Chairman, Assistant Regional Election Director as Vice Chairman and the Philippine National Police Regional Director as member shall act only on requests for exemption of jail guards from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) who will escort prisoner(s) pursuant to a lawful order.

Jimenez said the COMELEC shall strictly enforce the nationwide firearms ban during the election period. He added that the poll body may order deputized units of the police and the military disarm all persons who do not possess the necessary authorization from the COMELEC to carry, possess or transport firearms.