Request Lady Gun owners/enthusiasts to help us with Media .
Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2012 7:21 pm
Dear Members,
There has been a recent spurt of interest from the print & television media on the issue of fire arm ownership and especially the ownership of Guns amongst Women in our society. A lot of big News papers ,Magazines and TV channels have contacted us over the past 3 month to do stories on this issue. I will quote the names of some Media houses who have approached us . Some have either already published or are in the process of publishing reports on this issue. They are - The Guardian, Tehelka, The Telegraph , India Today, The Week, Deccan Herald , RTV , Reuters and French TV to name a few. I am quoting their names so all of us realise that they have good influence over the society and reach out to a vast number of people throughout the world . We must make ethical use of this opportunity to voice our concerns and bring to attention the trials faced in trying to exercise our rights and privileges. The issue of Women getting Empowered by Owning Firearms for Safety and Self defense in the unsafe social climate is of the highest interest to them. Also of interest are the Women Sport Shooters bringing home Medals and Laurels to the Nation. The media interest is actually overwhelming and must be utilised. We must respond to their call and not turn a cold shoulder. Ladies, they want to talk to you so please help,come forward and speak.
This is a very good opportunity for us to campaign for RKBA. We must make best use of this opportunity and give media our side of the story and highlight the issues and challanges faced by the average honest law abiding citizen who seeks to own or already owns firearms. I would like to call for help all the Ladies who are members of this forum , other forums , ladies who own guns, wish to own firearms and or any Gentlemen who know of any ladies ,who would like to come forward and talk to the media about firearm ownership. We must highlight and make the media aware of the injustice we face and the challenges and difficulty one faces in obtaining a licesnse, buying a quality firearm and buying ammunition to practice.
A word of caution here .. The Journalists like others also have opinions and we must be careful as to what to say. Some of them are Unbiased, Neutral or even better Pro gun and some are Anti gun. Our words can be quoted out of context , words twisted and the intent of the statement turned. I say this out of personal experience with quiet a few. Also we should never pass on the impression that we are not confident or scared to use our firearms or untrained in handling them. Also a lot of photo/video graphy is used and we must as a rule always in life and also on camera always display Good & Safe Gun handling practices. Never give an opportunity to the anti gun lobby to malign the gun owners and portray us as reckless citizens who pose a threat to the other members of our society. Some journalists may try to portray you as Trigger happy, always tell them that you are aware of the power of the firearm and will use one only in situations that are life threatening and or situations causing serious financial losses or loss of valuable property. Highlight the fact that Home Ministry's illegal order to deny firearms licenses unless a grave threat to life can be prooved is highly undemocratic, unconstitutional and strips the citizen of the right to self defence guranteed by the constitution. Tell them that the media and the society is well aware and fed up of the existing state of crime then what more proof does the government need, either they are blind or simply playing dumb. I am not crucifying the media or saying the journalists are evil . I have met some brilliant unbiased journalist who are extremely ethical. Just advise you to be cautious as the pen is mighty.....
Some Specific Points that must be Presented Forward-
1.One should point out that the executive orders issued by Home Ministry to not issue a firearms license unless the applicant can show proof that there is a threat to his life is illegal,impractical, highly restrictive , against principles of a democracy and makes it impossible for an average citizen to qualify for an arms license. This order is Unparliamentary and is being illegally enforced without being tabled in the Parliament for a law known as The Arms Act exists in the country and you cannot amend it without the above said parliamentary procedure. This was purposely done by the then Home Minister because The Standing Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs had raised serious objection on these policies and amendments he knew it will be turned down in parliament. What was his personal feelings or agenda is known only to him though it obviously points to him being Anti gun or maybe he was towing the UN line of complete civil disarmament to either secure a strong UN position in the future or get some UN funding. Not at the expense of our day to day safety and infringement of liberty Mr. Ex Home Minister. This order is also biased and classist as it has kept the Polity and Bureaucrats shielded from this rule and exempted them from this discriminative policy of the Home Ministry. This is again against The Constitution of India as all citizens have equal rights and privileges as per the constitution and are same in the eyes of the law. How can we have different sets of laws for the citizens of the same country. The politicians are in effect creating an Elitist society. They are getting into the Ruler and Subject mindset and forgetting we are the Citizens of this country and not their subjects.
2. Another policy hurting most gun owners is the area of validity issue , specifically the Denial of All India validity. Why are they restricting a citizen to travel safely through the country with his means and tools to defend himself . Do we not read of enough incidents of Way laying and Car- jacking ?Crime and criminals will not spare you because you are outside your state or district. Criminals will be quiet happy that now you can be easily victimised and can offer them no resistance. Criminals have been given protection by the state , they will now be extra safe by targeting cars with out of state or far away states's number plates, for as per the new rule maximum area of validity will be granted for 2 adjoining states other than the home state. How can one be deemed qualified to own a gun or have a threat in one part of the country and not the other. If he has gone through the background checks and other procedures to qualify as a gun owner in "A" state then should he not automatically qualify to exercise same privileges and rights throughout the country. Is this not against the very ethos of a democracy?
3.The ridiculous restriction of ammunition quota should also be addressed , how can one be expected to stay proficient with 10 cartridges at a time and 25 in a year? This I feel is the most ridiculous restrictive policy.
4. The licensing authorities ridiculously ask for certificates to show proof that the applicant has received training in shooting and safely handling firearms. This would be justified but the government has not formally set up any institution or given authority to any organisation to impart such training. How can they ask for something that has not been introduced in the administrative system or means for it provided for by the government itself?
5. Individual applying for a license to take up shooting as a sport is refused unless he has certificates to prove that he is an established sportsman/sportswoman and or has participated in shooting competitions. Catch 22 situation, how do you compete in a sport with out having or owning the equipment for it?
What must be reiterated is the fact and ground reality that it is now impossible to obtain a firearms license for either self defines or sport. One has to have connections,or have been looted, raped or specifically threatened to qualify for one.
The message sent should be clear that we do STRONGLY believe that Guns are an essential part of a safe secure nation. Gunowners are Sensible , Law Abiding and act as Shepards of the society. We must also send the subtle message that the politicians of the country who either strip us of our privilege to own guns/ tools of self defence and or those who do not fight for our rights will be penalised in elections by the Gun Owning / Gun Seeking voters.
I would conclude by saying please act swiftly as inaction leads to loosing causes and battles. Be aware that the Anti gun lobby is quick in reacting and is more organised than us. They have without fail critiqued every pro gun article or story presented by media. The last story by Nikita Doval in The Week magazine was pro gun and well researched albeit a few minor mistakes . It was promptly critiqued in the letters to the editor by anti gun lobby. We had not even sent in an appreciation letter , emphasised our concerns and issues or justified gun ownership amongst ladies.
Let's not waste this opportunity and please come forward and speak. Strike the iron while it's hot. We still have a lot of journalists waiting to cover this issue but not moving ahead for the lack of women gun owners stepping forward and talking with maturity and conviction about their strong belief in the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. I request every one to help . Please come forward and talk, express your feelings and opinion. Gentlemen i request you to please talk to any lady gun owners you happen to know and convince them to talk. Ladies please join us in our fight for our rights.... You can reach me through PM or contact me on my Mobile..the number is available on the NAGRI website ie. http://www.gunowners.in . It should be under the contact / membership form section. Not posting it's here keeping in mind the forum's rules. Hope to here soon from a lot of you....
Regards..
Rakshit Sharma.
There has been a recent spurt of interest from the print & television media on the issue of fire arm ownership and especially the ownership of Guns amongst Women in our society. A lot of big News papers ,Magazines and TV channels have contacted us over the past 3 month to do stories on this issue. I will quote the names of some Media houses who have approached us . Some have either already published or are in the process of publishing reports on this issue. They are - The Guardian, Tehelka, The Telegraph , India Today, The Week, Deccan Herald , RTV , Reuters and French TV to name a few. I am quoting their names so all of us realise that they have good influence over the society and reach out to a vast number of people throughout the world . We must make ethical use of this opportunity to voice our concerns and bring to attention the trials faced in trying to exercise our rights and privileges. The issue of Women getting Empowered by Owning Firearms for Safety and Self defense in the unsafe social climate is of the highest interest to them. Also of interest are the Women Sport Shooters bringing home Medals and Laurels to the Nation. The media interest is actually overwhelming and must be utilised. We must respond to their call and not turn a cold shoulder. Ladies, they want to talk to you so please help,come forward and speak.
This is a very good opportunity for us to campaign for RKBA. We must make best use of this opportunity and give media our side of the story and highlight the issues and challanges faced by the average honest law abiding citizen who seeks to own or already owns firearms. I would like to call for help all the Ladies who are members of this forum , other forums , ladies who own guns, wish to own firearms and or any Gentlemen who know of any ladies ,who would like to come forward and talk to the media about firearm ownership. We must highlight and make the media aware of the injustice we face and the challenges and difficulty one faces in obtaining a licesnse, buying a quality firearm and buying ammunition to practice.
A word of caution here .. The Journalists like others also have opinions and we must be careful as to what to say. Some of them are Unbiased, Neutral or even better Pro gun and some are Anti gun. Our words can be quoted out of context , words twisted and the intent of the statement turned. I say this out of personal experience with quiet a few. Also we should never pass on the impression that we are not confident or scared to use our firearms or untrained in handling them. Also a lot of photo/video graphy is used and we must as a rule always in life and also on camera always display Good & Safe Gun handling practices. Never give an opportunity to the anti gun lobby to malign the gun owners and portray us as reckless citizens who pose a threat to the other members of our society. Some journalists may try to portray you as Trigger happy, always tell them that you are aware of the power of the firearm and will use one only in situations that are life threatening and or situations causing serious financial losses or loss of valuable property. Highlight the fact that Home Ministry's illegal order to deny firearms licenses unless a grave threat to life can be prooved is highly undemocratic, unconstitutional and strips the citizen of the right to self defence guranteed by the constitution. Tell them that the media and the society is well aware and fed up of the existing state of crime then what more proof does the government need, either they are blind or simply playing dumb. I am not crucifying the media or saying the journalists are evil . I have met some brilliant unbiased journalist who are extremely ethical. Just advise you to be cautious as the pen is mighty.....
Some Specific Points that must be Presented Forward-
1.One should point out that the executive orders issued by Home Ministry to not issue a firearms license unless the applicant can show proof that there is a threat to his life is illegal,impractical, highly restrictive , against principles of a democracy and makes it impossible for an average citizen to qualify for an arms license. This order is Unparliamentary and is being illegally enforced without being tabled in the Parliament for a law known as The Arms Act exists in the country and you cannot amend it without the above said parliamentary procedure. This was purposely done by the then Home Minister because The Standing Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs had raised serious objection on these policies and amendments he knew it will be turned down in parliament. What was his personal feelings or agenda is known only to him though it obviously points to him being Anti gun or maybe he was towing the UN line of complete civil disarmament to either secure a strong UN position in the future or get some UN funding. Not at the expense of our day to day safety and infringement of liberty Mr. Ex Home Minister. This order is also biased and classist as it has kept the Polity and Bureaucrats shielded from this rule and exempted them from this discriminative policy of the Home Ministry. This is again against The Constitution of India as all citizens have equal rights and privileges as per the constitution and are same in the eyes of the law. How can we have different sets of laws for the citizens of the same country. The politicians are in effect creating an Elitist society. They are getting into the Ruler and Subject mindset and forgetting we are the Citizens of this country and not their subjects.
2. Another policy hurting most gun owners is the area of validity issue , specifically the Denial of All India validity. Why are they restricting a citizen to travel safely through the country with his means and tools to defend himself . Do we not read of enough incidents of Way laying and Car- jacking ?Crime and criminals will not spare you because you are outside your state or district. Criminals will be quiet happy that now you can be easily victimised and can offer them no resistance. Criminals have been given protection by the state , they will now be extra safe by targeting cars with out of state or far away states's number plates, for as per the new rule maximum area of validity will be granted for 2 adjoining states other than the home state. How can one be deemed qualified to own a gun or have a threat in one part of the country and not the other. If he has gone through the background checks and other procedures to qualify as a gun owner in "A" state then should he not automatically qualify to exercise same privileges and rights throughout the country. Is this not against the very ethos of a democracy?
3.The ridiculous restriction of ammunition quota should also be addressed , how can one be expected to stay proficient with 10 cartridges at a time and 25 in a year? This I feel is the most ridiculous restrictive policy.
4. The licensing authorities ridiculously ask for certificates to show proof that the applicant has received training in shooting and safely handling firearms. This would be justified but the government has not formally set up any institution or given authority to any organisation to impart such training. How can they ask for something that has not been introduced in the administrative system or means for it provided for by the government itself?
5. Individual applying for a license to take up shooting as a sport is refused unless he has certificates to prove that he is an established sportsman/sportswoman and or has participated in shooting competitions. Catch 22 situation, how do you compete in a sport with out having or owning the equipment for it?
What must be reiterated is the fact and ground reality that it is now impossible to obtain a firearms license for either self defines or sport. One has to have connections,or have been looted, raped or specifically threatened to qualify for one.
The message sent should be clear that we do STRONGLY believe that Guns are an essential part of a safe secure nation. Gunowners are Sensible , Law Abiding and act as Shepards of the society. We must also send the subtle message that the politicians of the country who either strip us of our privilege to own guns/ tools of self defence and or those who do not fight for our rights will be penalised in elections by the Gun Owning / Gun Seeking voters.
I would conclude by saying please act swiftly as inaction leads to loosing causes and battles. Be aware that the Anti gun lobby is quick in reacting and is more organised than us. They have without fail critiqued every pro gun article or story presented by media. The last story by Nikita Doval in The Week magazine was pro gun and well researched albeit a few minor mistakes . It was promptly critiqued in the letters to the editor by anti gun lobby. We had not even sent in an appreciation letter , emphasised our concerns and issues or justified gun ownership amongst ladies.
Let's not waste this opportunity and please come forward and speak. Strike the iron while it's hot. We still have a lot of journalists waiting to cover this issue but not moving ahead for the lack of women gun owners stepping forward and talking with maturity and conviction about their strong belief in the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. I request every one to help . Please come forward and talk, express your feelings and opinion. Gentlemen i request you to please talk to any lady gun owners you happen to know and convince them to talk. Ladies please join us in our fight for our rights.... You can reach me through PM or contact me on my Mobile..the number is available on the NAGRI website ie. http://www.gunowners.in . It should be under the contact / membership form section. Not posting it's here keeping in mind the forum's rules. Hope to here soon from a lot of you....
Regards..
Rakshit Sharma.
no leads still... Ladies n gentlemen come on pls... Help 
