Paltik

Paltik is a Filipino term for a homemade gun.[1] It is usually manufactured using scrap metal and angle iron.[2] Its manufacture is centralized in Danao, Cebu[3] where a cottage industry is set up to produce less efficient replicas of known firearms.[4] They claim to be able to replicate any guns although they prefer to mass-produce a 38 caliber six cylinder revolver.[5] The Philippine government notes that these firearms are of low quality but some are considered as "Class A" or high-quality.[6] Although Danao has the most concentration of factories since the 1940s,[7] paltik production can also be found in Negros, Leyte, and Mindanao. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front were also known to produce paltiks but were unable to upscale their production due to government pressure.[8]

The Paltik suffers from poor accuracy and low quality firing mechanisms. It lacks grooves in its bore, making its shots inaccurate.[9] Due to poor craftsmanship, the weapon was more dangerous to the shooter than the target. Some Filipino gunsmiths however, did make reliable percussion cap rifles that functioned in a manner similar to a 19th-century musket.

Paltiks are still made illegally in the Philippines today. They can be registered during the administration of President Corazon Aquino but this rule was revoked and all registered paltiks must be surrendered to the government.[10] President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed the Executive Order No. 171, s. 2003 which prevents paltiks from being licensed.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Barreveld, Dirk Jan (2015). Cushing’s Coup: The True Story of How Lt. Col. James Cushing and His Filipino Guerrillas Captured Japan's Plan Z. Casemate. p. 261. ISBN 9781612003085. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  2. ↑ III, Lynn T. White (2014). Philippine Politics: Possibilities and Problems in a Localist Democracy. Routledge. p. 41. ISBN 9781317574224. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  3. ↑ Resource Material Series. UNAFEI. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  4. ↑ Jones, Doctor Adam (2008). Men of the Global South: A Reader. Zed Books Ltd. p. 268. ISBN 9781848131774. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  5. ↑ Barreveld, Dirk (2014). CEBU - A Tropical Paradise in the Pacific. Lulu Press, Inc. ISBN 9781312577190. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  6. ↑ Geneva, Small Arms Survey (2013). Small Arms Survey 2013: Everyday Dangers. Cambridge University Press. p. 311. ISBN 9781107435735. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  7. ↑ McCoy, Alfred W. (2009). An Anarchy of Families: State and Family in the Philippines. Univ of Wisconsin Press. p. 540. ISBN 9780299229849. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  8. ↑ Miani, Lino (2011). The Sulu Arms Market: National Responses to a Regional Problem. Institute of Southeast Asian. p. 111. ISBN 9789814311113. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  9. ↑ Philippine Law Dictionary. Rex Bookstore, Inc. p. 704. ISBN 9789712349119. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  10. ↑ Geneva, Small Arms Survey (2013). Small Arms Survey 2013: Everyday Dangers. Cambridge University Press. p. 314. ISBN 9781107435735. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  11. ↑ "Executive Order No. 171, s. 2003 | GOVPH". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Government of the Philippines. Retrieved 6 November 2017.

See also


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