Bangalore CoP's say on firearm ownership for target shooting
Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 12:12 pm
Me and Inder had applied for our arms licenses for a .22 rifle and a DBBL shotgun respectively in November 2007. Our applications were processed at the local police station and the ACP(East). However, the DCP(East) rejected our arms application. I went over to the DCP's office waited for close to four hours on a weekday and told him that I'm a member of KSRA and needed a .22 rifle to practise shooting to which he retorted "Don't irritate me, please walk out. I dont have the time for this. I'll be rejecting your application."
We received letters rejecting our arms license applications in April 2008. The reason quoted for denial of license was that we could practise shooting with a 'sports gun' or a 'model gun' sold in toy shops. We lost all hope of being able to own guns till recently when we were told that Bangalore's new CoP Shankar Bidari was a competent police officer and would definitely listen to our woes. For those of you who do not know, Shankar Bidari played an active role in the killing of the famed elephant poacher Veerapan- http://www.shankarbidari.in/
Me and Inder were at the Commissioner's office on the day before yesterday (27th Jan, 2009) and were told that the commissioner would meet public between 3.30pm and 5.30pm on Monday and Wednesdays. We promptly reached the Commissioner's office yesterday (28th Jan, 2009) at 3.30 pm. The CoP's PA told us to meet the DCP (Admin) as he was incharge of approving arm licenses. An hour' waiting outside the DCP's chamber and we were in front of DCP Shivaprasad. We told him our case and showed him acknowledgment of arms license application and rejection letter. He carelessly scanned through both these documents and told us that he could approve licenses only for self defense and not for target shooting. Convinced that only CoP would be able to help us, we walked down to Commissioner's office.
After waiting for two hours, we were allowed to speak to the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Shankar Bidari. His chamber had an impressive photo of his STF days in which he was dressed in camo and had a sten gun. On being called during our turn, we told Mr.Bidari that we had applied for our arms license to practise shooting at the range and that our applications were turned down without a valid reason. Mr.Bidari told us to come back in two days and on being reminded that our application were as old as November 2007, he said "We are not issuing arms licenses as there is proliferation of fire arms in the country!"
Unable to believe what we just heard, me and Inder rode back home feeling helpless about the ignorance and apathy among all rank of officers incharge of issuing arms licenses.
Pran
We received letters rejecting our arms license applications in April 2008. The reason quoted for denial of license was that we could practise shooting with a 'sports gun' or a 'model gun' sold in toy shops. We lost all hope of being able to own guns till recently when we were told that Bangalore's new CoP Shankar Bidari was a competent police officer and would definitely listen to our woes. For those of you who do not know, Shankar Bidari played an active role in the killing of the famed elephant poacher Veerapan- http://www.shankarbidari.in/
Me and Inder were at the Commissioner's office on the day before yesterday (27th Jan, 2009) and were told that the commissioner would meet public between 3.30pm and 5.30pm on Monday and Wednesdays. We promptly reached the Commissioner's office yesterday (28th Jan, 2009) at 3.30 pm. The CoP's PA told us to meet the DCP (Admin) as he was incharge of approving arm licenses. An hour' waiting outside the DCP's chamber and we were in front of DCP Shivaprasad. We told him our case and showed him acknowledgment of arms license application and rejection letter. He carelessly scanned through both these documents and told us that he could approve licenses only for self defense and not for target shooting. Convinced that only CoP would be able to help us, we walked down to Commissioner's office.
After waiting for two hours, we were allowed to speak to the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Shankar Bidari. His chamber had an impressive photo of his STF days in which he was dressed in camo and had a sten gun. On being called during our turn, we told Mr.Bidari that we had applied for our arms license to practise shooting at the range and that our applications were turned down without a valid reason. Mr.Bidari told us to come back in two days and on being reminded that our application were as old as November 2007, he said "We are not issuing arms licenses as there is proliferation of fire arms in the country!"
Unable to believe what we just heard, me and Inder rode back home feeling helpless about the ignorance and apathy among all rank of officers incharge of issuing arms licenses.
Pran
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