Indians For Guns

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/over ... 25641.html

The July 15 gazette notification marking the most comprehensive overhaul of India's Arms Rules in 50 years came quietly. The Union ministry for home chose to play it down as violence in Kashmir peaked. Home minister Rajnath Singh reportedly cancelled a press conference slated to announce one of his ministry's achievements, a first-ever National Database of Arms Licences (NDAL), as he headed to soothe nerves in troubled Kashmir. Last tweaked in 2010, the Arms Rules of 1962 govern the manufacture, sale and licensing of arms in the country. On July 26, Rajnath Singh constituted a seven-member special committee to look at non-lethal alternatives to the use of 'pellet guns' in Kashmir. (Pellet guns are a euphemism for shortened .303 rifles and 12 bore shotguns firing modified 'birdshot'). The new arms rules issued by his ministry introduce a new category of weapons, such as 'Electronic Disabling Devices' (EDD) or Tasers, which temporarily disable people rather than maim them.

The new policy also makes it easier for the private sector to manufacture arms and ammunition for the armed forces and police. Private citizens will find it tougher to get arms licences to acquire guns for personal protection. NDAL has 2.6 million registered arms licence holders, numbers that are unlikely to go up much after the new rules take effect. The rules are, however, clearly aimed at nurturing India's shooting talent. Ammunition quotas for sports shooters have been substantially increased. For renowned shooters, they have been increased from 15,000 rounds of ammunition per year to 50,000.

Critics of the new arms rules, however, note what they call its absurdities. For instance, the rules bring in new 'weapons' not previously covered, such as paintball guns, movie props and air rifles. The manufacture and sale of such weapons will now be monitored and restricted.

RED CARPET FOR ARMS FIRMS

The biggest change in the 52-year-old arms rules will allow foreign manufacturers and the Indian private sector to produce weapons like automatic pistols, machine guns and assault rifles within the country.

The Indian armed forces, police and paramilitary forces have an annual requirement of Rs 3,000 crore worth of arms and ammunition, according to industry estimates. State-owned ordnance factories can't meet all this demand, thus necessitating imports. The home ministry will soon release the arms and ammunition manufacturing policy, which will for the first time allow foreign and private sector companies to manufacture arms and ammunition locally as part of the government's Make in India drive. The sector's been closed to private players since 1962, when the arms rules made it a public sector monopoly. The 95 private gun firms in the country are restricted to making smooth bore single and double barrel weapons; 25 firms manufacture cartridges for these weapons.

The policy changed dramatically on June 20 this year, when the government opened up the sector to 100 per cent FDI, inviting foreign as well as private Indian manufacturers to set up shop. The new policy also details the licence-issuing procedure. The decision will be taken vy a licensing committee headed by the Union home secretary, secretaries from the defence ministry, department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP), and the home secretary of the state where the factory is being built.

The policy has come as a major shot in the arm for private sector players who had obtained licences over a decade ago but not seen any progress. The reason? A decade-long turf battle within the government, which began with a 2001 Cabinet decision allowing private players to manufacture arms and ammunition with up to 26 per cent FDI. Licences issued by the commerce ministry, in consultation with the MoD, were to be cleared by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board. The MHA, seething over not being consulted, objected to the DIPP issuing licences. In 2010, the government finally declared the MHA the sole licensing authority to issue all arms licences, and raised FDI limits to 49 per cent in 2014. The new 100 per cent FDI policy ends the state-owned Ordnance Factory Board's monopoly and hopefully also the absurdity of Indian armed forces, police and paramilitary forces importing arms from foreign private firms.

A private sector player unwilling to be named said the new policy aimed at creating a small arms ecosystem, making the country self-sufficient in weapon parts, slings and butts.

Punj Lloyd was one of the only companies to obtain a licence to manufacture small arms in the private sector over a decade ago. "Our forces will now get a Make in India gun," says Ashok Wadhawan, its president, manufacturing. This October, the company will set up a small arms factory in Malanpur, outside Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh for assault rifles and submachine guns in collaboration with partner Israeli Weapons Industries (IWI), the first of its kind in the country.

HARDER TO GET GUN LICENCES

The new arms rules have come as a rude shock to India's nascent gun lobby, which has argued for greater access to licensed firearms for personal protection. Instead, it has now become tougher to get an arms licence. The key is in the insertion of a 'speaking order', where the authority issuing an arms licence is to explicitly record the reasons for granting or refusing one. "As per the new rules, government officials can decline to reveal reasons for refusal, so the speaking order works purely as a negative force. There are no positives at all," says Abhijeet Singh, gun enthusiast and founder of online gun resource indiansforguns.com.

The new rules introduce a new category of Edds that could replace this shotgun CRPF troopers used in Kashmir

The new provisions also make it difficult for heirs to inherit multiple weapons. 'Additional licence' holders will have to surrender their arms licences when they move out of the home of the parent licence holders. Gun owners say the goal of the new rules seems to be to limit the total number of arms licences in the country.

Renewal fee of Rs 3,000 per licence for three years, up from the earlier Rs 100, will push up cost of gun ownership, especially for the bulk of the poor rural arms licence holders.

The home ministry has relaxed an earlier norm stipulating that All-India Arms Licences would have to be issued from Delhi. They can now be issued in the states where the licence is applied for.

"Our aim was to ensure the constitutionally protected right to life and property, especially for women and old people," says Rahoul Rai, president, National Association for Gun Rights of India (NAGRI). "The new arms rules are worse than those in the times of the British."

What has baffled small scale industry players are the rules bringing replica weapons used in film shoots and paint ball guns used for recreational activities under the licensing ambit. Small scale manufacturers like Ashok Rai, whose firm Syndicate Armoury has provided replicas to films such as Lord of the Rings and Bajirao Mastani, worry about the implications of such licensing. Under the new rules, Rai will have to submit his weapon designs to the government, and he cannot make more than 500 replica weapons a month. "We're an export house earning over $1.5 million in foreign exchange and directly employing 400 people. We can't compete against Chinese firms with such rules," he says. It's squeeze time for weapons in the private sector, real and fake.

The new rules introduce a new category of Edds that could replace this shotgun CRPF troopers used in Kashmir

Thanks Vikram, this article clearly brings out some "not so obvious" implications of Arms Rule 2016 Policy.
As the writer quotes Abhijeet's comment unlike before, Licensing Authority no more needs to mark reason of rejection
which gives them a blanket of autonomy.
Moreover under finer prints, one needs to have at least 2 years old shooting club membership along with proof of "structured learning" to substantiate claim and apply under sports category.
It reads under 12 (3) (b): "Obligations of licensing authority in certain cases" as:
"any dedicated sports person being active member for the last two years, of a shooting club or a rifle
association, licensed under these rules and who wants to pursue sport shooting for target practice in a
structured learning process"

It might have been under influence and recommendation from Club Associations, but has now become imperative.

I am my self looking out for 2 reference recommendations to join NRAI/ DSRA.
In case anyone is feeling generous about endorsing my application request, kindly drop a PM. Would be thankful.

Thanks & Regards
Royal Singh

(Pellet guns are a euphemism for shortened .303 rifles and 12 bore shotguns firing modified 'birdshot') !!!

Meaning of EUPHEMISM :
a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.

Can anyone explain what context this word has whilst comparing Air Guns with "shortened .303 rifles and 12 bore shotguns ??? !!! Is the journalist crazy as well as uneducated ??? !!!

ashokpkl wrote:Can anyone explain what context this word has whilst comparing Air Guns with "shortened .303 rifles and 12 bore shotguns ??? !!! Is the journalist crazy as well as uneducated ??? !!!

Perhaps you have not been able to understand the meaning properly. Compared to .303 rifles and 12 gauge shotguns, the "pellet guns" sound less lethal to the uninformed public. The government instead of saying that it is firing shortened .303 rifles and 12 gauge shotguns at the unarmed protesting crowds, it is masking this fact by calling these guns as pellet guns.

Pellet gun is a mild or indirect expression substituted for .303 rifles and 12 bore shotguns considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing thing the government is doing(as per well settled principles of law, firing .303 rifles and 12 bore shotguns on unarmed protesters is use of disproportionate force).

"Unarmed Protestor " "Dispropertionate force " for the blood thirsty crowds living off state largese sounds exactly like the propaganda saying pellet guns are lethal weapons !

jatindra Singh Deo wrote:"Unarmed Protestor " "Dispropertionate force " for the blood thirsty crowds living off state largese sounds exactly like the propaganda saying pellet guns are lethal weapons !

While you are entitled to your personal and political views but the legal facts remain whatever they are. Let us forget this matter for a moment, will any court of law in this country forgive you for firing on an unarmed person? Ask your self.

Got it. But hope something can be done to bring Air Rifles under the domain of "Registered Guns" and not Licensed Guns.

ashokpkl wrote:Got it. But hope something can be done to bring Air Rifles under the domain of "Registered Guns" and not Licensed Guns.

As per definition of firearms in Arms Act 1959, air guns are firearms. There is no provision of registration of firearms in Arms Act 1959. There are only two possibilities under Arms Act 1959, either firearms need license or need exemption from license. What can be done or what cannot be done etc. has been discussed in the thread represented by this link viewtopic.php?f=4&t=24511&start=45#p242849

Agree. But as so many antiquated laws have been changed so this new one could have been more logical ? And if getting the message across to the Home Minister matters there should be 1 million letters written to him on this issue ?

ashokpkl wrote:Agree. But as so many antiquated laws have been changed so this new one could have been more logical ? And if getting the message across to the Home Minister matters there should be 1 million letters written to him on this issue ?

Perhaps for some unknown reason the bureaucrats in the Home Ministry think that Arms Act 1959 should become more and more unreasonable. Arms Rules 2016 is their gift to the law abiding citizens as a punishment for what the law breakers are doing. I fear that if gun ownership through legal means becomes more and more difficult, the common people will be forced to keep illegal guns. When will the Home Minister understand this simple truth, is something that is difficult to say.

True. But I hope we do get the letters by registered AD across in big numbers. The content should have clarity, logic and manners to it. To show that a lot of law abiding citizens are worried and angry.

ashokpkl wrote:True. But I hope we do get the letters by registered AD across in big numbers. The content should have clarity, logic and manners to it. To show that a lot of law abiding citizens are worried and angry.

Are the bureaucrats really interested in listening to logic and reasoning? It is the main question. Perhaps the Home Minister might be interested to listen. Objections were sent earlier also, if you read the thread represented by this link https://www.indiansforguns.com/viewtopi ... 30#p230480 They kept the matter in doldrums almost for an year and quietly Notified Arms Rules 2016. If you read this NAGRI has been warning about what may happen viewtopic.php?f=3&t=24069

Govt's wants total control (Hindi word Varchasv- total control at any cost, whatever the consequences be) over their citizens. Not just in India but everywhere across the globe.

Americans have gun culture in their DNA. Not because of their fascination to have one but it gives freedom from dominance by others including govt.

My recently reads

As of late, there has been a number of violent attacks throughout Europe that have been largely ignored by the American media. For example, a deadly knife attack in Japan claimed the lives of 19 people and injured 26 others approximately a week ago, but the tragedy received little mainstream coverage. In mid-July, a teenage Afghan refugee armed with an ax and a knife attacked and injured four people on a train in South Germany.

At the time of this article’s publication, one woman has been killed and five other people injured in a knife attack Wednesday evening in Russell Square, London.

So, what is really the issue here?

The fact is that establishment media outlets are not going to talk about what is blatantly obvious to anyone who follows these stories: guns are not the only weapon that can be used to commit mass murders. Mass murders occur in countries that already have very strict gun regulations in place. It is true that you very rarely hear of a mass shooting in England, but the fact remains that England’s homicide rate and rate of violent crime is rising — in spite of its bans on guns

It is not the gun or knife that is the problem. The problem is with the intention of the person holding it. And of course perception of people around us, a policeman carrying one is good and civilian carry it (for self defense) is seen like a criminal.

I say " your kitchen knife does not seem to differentiate between veggie or living thing is being chopped".

Got it all. But don't we need many many more shorter, crisp letters to the Home Minister on the subject ? Do we have the numbers to change perception ?

This Gov has commercial compulsions to allow arms manufacture as there is huge requirements taking into account army, para military forces like BSF, CRPF,ITBP,SSB, state police. Also this Gov wants to limit access to civil population by making arms licensing tough. These rules are nothing but balancing by this gov between commercial interests & its fear. Fear is not to allow civil population access to firearms except the loyalists as was rule during British. If intentions of this gov were honest it would have amended the Act instead of amending the rules. But it should realize rules cannt be contrary to Act. At one hand it creates class of VIPS like parliamentarians etc who has unfettered access to arms with no bar (31% of the present cabinet has criminal cases) and law abiding citizen at the mercy of a failed state which cant guarantee protection to its citizens. If this was the intention then it would have been provided in the Act but expressively or impliedly its not there.

Airgun restriction was already there (deal wood test). Now the rules have provided procedure (licensing requirements).
A PIL should be filed. Lets zero the cost & let us all contribute towards the legal cost.

Rgds
Biren