CARRYING A LICENSED FIREARM IN PUBLIC

[pkaran]

My firearm license is the 188th in my tehsil (administrative division). There are six taluks in my District; and altogether there can be about 1100 licensed gun owners in my District alone.

While the Arms Act 1959 specifies carrying a firearm kept in a holster meant for the purpose, I have not seen a single person (license-holder) carrying one that way. I understand that this is largely due to the inimical attitude of the society towards firearms while crimes are shooting through the roofs. Therefore, I would like to ask those who are better informed than I about the following questions:

Scenario:
You are carrying a firearm, firmly and safely held in your waist and duly holstered. The Arms Act permits carrying a gun held in a holster meant for the purpose. However, a holster does not conceal the grip; it cannot for practical purposes. Thus, onlookers can easily identify the firearm.

Questions:
1. Will people become panicky at the site of a holstered firearm being carried by a civilian while the act is perfectly legal?

2. What will be their reaction under the circumstance - will they call the police and report that a ‘person carrying a gun’ is spotted?

Now, not knowing that the firearm being carried is a licensed one, police will rush to the spot, interrogate you and impel you to show them the firearm and its license while, strictly driven by the laws, you insist that they are incompetent to inspect the weapon, the competent authority being a Station House Officer (SHO) or an officer above his rank.

3. What will happen then? Will the policemen attempt to exert muscle power?

4. How would you manage such situations while preserving your legal rights? It may be noted that not all policemen are fully aware of the laws governing firearms.

[dev]

What you should do is refrain from trying to do an open carry.
Do a concealed carry as from what I vaguely recall is that, carrying a firearm should not cause distress to anyone who sees it.
So don't let anyone know you are carrying one, this way you stay safe without attracting any unwanted attention.

[Vikram]

In Indian context, it is begging for trouble to carry a firearm openly. All it takes is one phone call by a worried citizen and one police officer to take it as an offence. One will find oneself in a lot of trouble. There was a case of film fan posing with a cheap air pistol out side a cinema theatre in Andhra Pradesh. He was arrested and charged. The poor fellow was pleading with them to no avail.