Indians For Guns

Dear Learned Friends and Senior Members,

Greetings of the day.

My name is Ankur Srivastava, permanent R/O Lucknow. Currently I am residing in Gandhinagar, Gujarat since 1 & a half year. In my family we are only two, me and my wife so we seldom go to our ancestral house in Lucknow. I want to apply for an Arms Licence in Gandhinagar, Gujarat for self defence. I have downloaded the Application form available on the website of Gandhinagar Police and duly filled it up. However there is a column which asks for "In which form I want to apply for the Arms Licence?", please advise about the same, as I am not able to understand this.
Apart from this I have attached my Voter's Id Card, Aadhaar Card, Passport, Lease agreement for current address, Electricity Bill for Current address, ITR copies for last 3 years. Please advise me, where do I need to submit these documents and pay the application fee. If someone can advise me the step by step procedure which I need to follow now, I shall be much oblized.

Your Valued "Post-AL Application" suggestions are also requested.

Thanking in anticipation.


Very Warm Regards,
Ankur Srivastava

My advise would be to go to the Licensing Authority office with all your documents and ask the clerk who accepts the application and ask him what to fill in the column that you mention.
He will also tell you if there are any further descriptiveness, as over here besides the completed application you also need a medical certificate and an arms handling and safety certificate. And in some states I believe that you also need a 'Sifarish Letter'.
When your application comes to your police station for verification you will have to give witness of two neighbors who would certify that they know you and they have no objection in your getting an arms license.

Regards

Atul

aadhaulya wrote:My advise would be to go to the Licensing Authority office with all your documents and ask the clerk who accepts the application and ask him what to fill in the column that you mention.
He will also tell you if there are any further descriptiveness, as over here besides the completed application you also need a medical certificate and an arms handling and safety certificate. And in some states I believe that you also need a 'Sifarish Letter'.
When your application comes to your police station for verification you will have to give witness of two neighbors who would certify that they know you and they have no objection in your getting an arms license.

Regards

Atul

Dear Sir,

I visited the website of Gandhinagar Police and there was no mention of a Medical Certificate and Arms Handling & Safety. If in case an Arms Handling and Safety Certificate is required, kindly advise me the process.

Regards.

ankur_ank007 wrote:
Dear Sir,

I visited the website of Gandhinagar Police and there was no mention of a Medical Certificate and Arms Handling & Safety. If in case an Arms Handling and Safety Certificate is required, kindly advise me the process.

Regards.

Ankur,

I do not know if you would require these documents or not in Gujrat. Only the LA fellow would be able to clear that point. In our state the weapon handling certificate is given by the Home Guards. You have to apply there and there is a one week course that includes one day for a written test and then firing a .22 rifle the score of both these tests are taken to give you a certificate. This course of one week, and one hour daily costs about Rs 1000 that includes the ammunition used for firing. It is a very simple test.

But again you will have to find out the process being followed in Gujrat.

Regards

Atul

aadhaulya wrote:

ankur_ank007 wrote:
Dear Sir,

I visited the website of Gandhinagar Police and there was no mention of a Medical Certificate and Arms Handling & Safety. If in case an Arms Handling and Safety Certificate is required, kindly advise me the process.

Regards.

Ankur,

I do not know if you would require these documents or not in Gujrat. Only the LA fellow would be able to clear that point. In our state the weapon handling certificate is given by the Home Guards. You have to apply there and there is a one week course that includes one day for a written test and then firing a .22 rifle the score of both these tests are taken to give you a certificate. This course of one week, and one hour daily costs about Rs 1000 that includes the ammunition used for firing. It is a very simple test.

But again you will have to find out the process being followed in Gujrat.

Regards

Atul

Dear Atul ji,

Thanks a lot for the piece of information.

I shall try to get the information as soon as possible.

Regards,

For self defense you have to apply for a license in FORM-III

GNV wrote:For self defense you have to apply for a license in FORM-III

Dear Sir,

I have thoroughly filled up the form and attached the required documents. Can you please advise me do I need to submit the form at Gandhinagar Sector 7 police station first or do I need to deposit the fee at Gandhinagar SBI and attach a copy of the Bank challan with the application form. Can you please advise me the stepwise process to do the same.

Regards.

Dear Ankur,
I live in a small town in the state of Andhra Pradesh. In my case the Licensing Authority is the District Magistrate ( Locally called District Collector an IAS officer ). Since you live in a state capital I presume that the LA would be an IPS officer. There would be one clerk in the LA's office called weapons clerk and usually to him we have to submit the application. He would provide all the necessary information about required papers and where to pay the fees. That was the procedure in my state too till a few months ago. But now it is changed. Now all applications to Govt regarding anything and everything have to be submitted through e-seva/mee-seva kendras only.( These are Govt recognized online service centers ). The fees are also paid at these e-seva centers.
These procedures vary from state to state depending on their respective policies. But in the end the weapons clerk in your LA's office handles these applications. Only the application submitting procedure vary. So go and meet this clerk and he would provide you with all the necessary information and advice. Best of luck.
Regards,
GNV

GNV wrote:Dear Ankur,
I live in a small town in the state of Andhra Pradesh. In my case the Licensing Authority is the District Magistrate ( Locally called District Collector an IAS officer ). Since you live in a state capital I presume that the LA would be an IPS officer. There would be one clerk in the LA's office called weapons clerk and usually to him we have to submit the application. He would provide all the necessary information about required papers and where to pay the fees. That was the procedure in my state too till a few months ago. But now it is changed. Now all applications to Govt regarding anything and everything have to be submitted through e-seva/mee-seva kendras only.( These are Govt recognized online service centers ). The fees are also paid at these e-seva centers.
These procedures vary from state to state depending on their respective policies. But in the end the weapons clerk in your LA's office handles these applications. Only the application submitting procedure vary. So go and meet this clerk and he would provide you with all the necessary information and advice. Best of luck.
Regards,
GNV

Dear GNV Sir,

Thanks a lot for the information. Also, can you please put a light on the fact that the Arms Clerk is asking for the ITRs of 3 years including 2014-2015, I don't have ITR of 2014-15 as I have not filed yet, will form-16 issued by the Income Tax Department do? or I need to file an ITR first and apply then?

Regards

Anyhow it is time to file the ITR for 2014-15. Just file it and then apply.

GNV wrote:Anyhow it is time to file the ITR for 2014-15. Just file it and then apply.

Thanks

Dear Learned Friends and Senior Members,

I talked to Yograj Ji (our one of the most senior member "Katana") yesternight on phone and on his most valued suggestion visited Gandhinagar Jan Seva Karyalaya, (a single window system by Gujarat Govt. for multiple administrative tasks like applications and certifications of various departments) at Collector's Office. I searched for one Mr. Vaghela as suggested by Yograj Ji but unfortunately he has been transferred. I collected a form meant for the application of Firearm in Self Defense. It was a 6 page form all in Gujarati. However, there were people around who were more or less quite helpful in making me understand the form (since I am a Non-Gujarati speaking person). I filled up the form, attached my Ids. including my UID Card, Passport, PAN Card and Voter's Id card, My last 3 years ITRs, my local address proof (an electricity bill and consecutive 2 years' lease agreement's copy of my rented apartment in Gandhinagar, copies of FIRs lodged with the SP of Gandhinagar & Lucknow for perceived threat due to property dispute after the death of my parents and inter-caste marriage against the will of my uncles. After completing the file I went to the Deputy Collector available and discussed about the case. He was quite helpful and proactive. He advised me to submit the file to any of the JSK counter. When I went to the JSK counter to collect my token for Queue Management System, the person checked all my documents in the forms and asked me to get it Attested by the Mamlaatdaar in the office. Since there were 3 sets of the file (more than 150 sheets in total) the Maamlaatdaar asked me to get it done by an Executive Magistrate or Notary Public. Self attested copies were not accepted even when I was carrying the originals. I went to Gandhinagar Court then, and got all the documents attested and paid a heavy sum of money. I was literally overcharged since I was applying for an AL, and in our society AL applicants are presumed to be influential people with heavy wallets. After that the guy at the QMS counter asked me to get the forms stamped and signed by some clerk named Jayesh Bhai. When I met that, guy he asked me to bring last 3 years' bank statement which I was not carrying. When I tried to question about the necessity of this, he was quite furious and told me not to argue or he is not going to sign it and the AL application will not be accepted. After a lot of request and discussion he signed the forms and stamped it and gave me the bank challans which I now needed to submit in SBI but warned me that a query will be raised by the Licencing Authority about the bank statements. By this time it was already 0430 Hrs and when I reached bank, they denied to take the payment. PSK remains on weekends so now I need to go to the PSK again on Monday with the receipt of the payment against Bank Challan and Files, and then it will be accepted after a long waiting list generated by Queue Management Systems.

All I spent today was 2500 bucks just to submit a file in 3 sets the fee for which is 100 rs.

God bless the law abiding citizens of India who are planning to apply for an AL.

It seems getting an AL in the state of Andhra Pradesh when one lives in a small town seems much easier than those living in capital cities of other states. Submitting the application is very simple through e-seva centers. Usually the covering letter which one has to submit along with the application to the LA i.e., the District Collector is the most important one. A lot depends on how you phrase it. Provided that you fulfill the other requirements one don't even have to meet the LA. You will either get your license or a denial letter. I explained why I am applying for a license for a sporting rifle in 0.22 LR caliber and stated only the facts in my covering letter to the LA. Either the LA is a reasonable person or I was lucky. I received my license in about 2 months after I applied without any fuss. I think it all depends on where you live and presume it would be quite difficult for those living in capital cities.

Hi GNV,

it's not about the cities or the Licensing Authorities, it's about law, it's about legal rights. The Arms Act and the Arms Rule is same for everyone in the country, the constitution is one for every Indian then why this bias with people with no political approach or people who do not offer bribe? People who are want Al to show off easily get the weapon however law abiding citizens always have to wait endlessly or knock the door of courts to get an AL.

ankur_ank007 wrote:

aadhaulya wrote:

ankur_ank007 wrote:
Dear Sir,

I visited the website of Gandhinagar Police and there was no mention of a Medical Certificate and Arms Handling & Safety. If in case an Arms Handling and Safety Certificate is required, kindly advise me the process.

Regards.

Ankur,

I do not know if you would require these documents or not in Gujrat. Only the LA fellow would be able to clear that point. In our state the weapon handling certificate is given by the Home Guards. You have to apply there and there is a one week course that includes one day for a written test and then firing a .22 rifle the score of both these tests are taken to give you a certificate. This course of one week, and one hour daily costs about Rs 1000 that includes the ammunition used for firing. It is a very simple test.

But again you will have to find out the process being followed in Gujrat.

Regards

Atul

Dear Atul ji,

Thanks a lot for the piece of information.

I shall try to get the information as soon as possible.

Regards,

Dear Ankur,

Welcome aboard!

Good to have someone from Ahmedabad / Gandhinagar

There is a CRT (Civil Rifle Training) Course held regularly at Ahmedabad Rifle Club, Khanpur.

Generally each batch does not have more than 15 students and last week when I went there, the batches were full until July end.Pls go there and meet Narendra Solanki who is the trainer and give him my reference.

It is a 15 days course where they teach you about proper gun handling, safety and shooting on a .22 rifle.

The exam includes verbal, written & target shooting ofcourse.

At the end of the course, if you pass, a certificate is issued signed by the CP of Ahmedabad stating that you have completed basic training course.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,
Rup