Toy guns may be fake, but the consequences of carrying one during a gun ban are very real, as two men in Butuan City found out yesterday.
Jay Celades reported van driver Jun Antonio to authorities after the latter forced his van onto the congested the road and tried to overtake cars while on the way to the city center.
Celades told the police that Antonio was armed, which the driver denied.
According to Antonio, the alleged gun was actually a toy his companion in the car, Joey Patnubay, was taking home for his son.
Chief Insp. Christian Rafols, a spokesperson for the Butuan City Police, confirmed Antonio’s claim, telling ABS-CBN News that it was actually a replica of a .45 caliber pistol.
But that didn’t save the two from being arrested.
Although it was actually an airsoft gun, it was still a violation of the election gun ban that started last month and will end on May 21, a week after the upcoming Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council) and barangay (village) elections.
And their bad luck didn’t end there.
Because of the toy gun reported by the complainant, police also found that Antonio and Patnubay were carrying a knife — also banned during election season — and, wait for it … drug paraphernalia. Derp.
The two have been charged with violating the election gun ban and will undergo drug testing.
Reader Interactions