Firearm Limit (India) - who was really behind this?

[sat]

Not trying to stir things up but I wonder if members here know who 'really' was behind the idea of putting a limit on the no of firearms an individual can own in India. I have been told by several senior people & a gun dealer, that there was a active lobby of gun dealers from Delhi, Bombay, Central & South India who were behind introducing the 3 gun limit for an individual.
One can understand why. Firearm owners with large collection (specially erstwhile princely families) were not selling their beautiful rifles, shotguns, revolvers, pistol that the gun dealers wanted to purchase. Once this gun dealers lobby was successful in introducing a 3 gun limit per licensee, the gun dealers made a huge amount of money because the market were flooded with firearms.
I know a former princely state in Gujarat sold 3 truckloads of arms & ammunition which went to Bombay. One dealer (still operational in Bombay) bought 80 brand new (unused) box packed rifle for peanuts for less than Inr 100 per rifle. In Rajasthan, one large family had to sell hundreds of collectible firearms which were laid out in lots of 11 on mattresses on the ground & gun dealers had a ball. This was told to me personally by the family member. Muzzle loaders were piled upto 15' high. In which several beautiful pieces with engraving would be found.

You can imagine the loss because so much of the heritage was exported by these unscrupulous dealers for their selfish gain, not to mention depriving firearm enthusiast of a nation by introducing a 3 gun limit

[prashantsingh]

You could add this to Bespoke's post on "Best Guns".
and
I have heard of people in India (around the same times) who destroyed their priceless guns and buried them because they did not want to sell them at throw away prices.

[goodboy_mentor]

I have been told by several senior people & a gun dealer, that there was a active lobby of gun dealers from Delhi, Bombay, Central & South India who were behind introducing the 3 gun limit for an individual.

Only a few gun dealers looking for some quick profits might have been behind this. If it is true then they destroyed their own business in long term. I do not think most of the gun dealers are doing "roaring" business today. The person who would be buying 10 or more guns is now hardly even buying 3 guns because of high prices and the 3 firearm limit.

[nagarifle]

from my understanding it was the Parliament in the time of drawing up the act and rules who approved the 3 gun rule.

however i do find it hard to understand why would the dealers want such a stupid rule, its like cutting your own throat after feeding your mouth.

[sat]

from my understanding it was the Parliament in the time of drawing up the act and rules who approved the 3 gun rule

Parliament did draw up the act & approve the 3 gun rule but brains behind this was the active lobby behind this was the select gun dealers group. If only they had thought long term.

[winnie_the_pooh]

Sat,


Those who sold those guns,and this was the majority,were perhaps a bit too hasty and certainly ill advised.There was a way to avoid what eventually happened.

They could have set up a local rifle association( members would have been from the family itself) and got a license in it's name.Then transferred all the guns to the association.There is not limit to the number of guns a club/association can own.Would have solved the problem of getting ammo as well.

[sat]

Those who sold those guns,and this was the majority,were perhaps a bit too hasty and certainly ill advised.There was a way to avoid what eventually happened.

I agree, ill advised for sure, similarly not many people put their agriculture land in the name of a trust or a partnership firm/pvt ltd company. This would have saved some of their land from the Land ceiling act.

land ceiling - limit (state wise)
http://www.indiaagronet.com/indiaagrone ... eiling.htm

[Katana]

A similar theory also circulated about the import ban too. The logic being that dealers wanted a total ban on imports because then the firearms were available at reasonable prices wherein their profitability was restricted, while arms already held by licensees would come back to them for resale, thereby keeping prices and their profits high.

In fact, we are seeing this in the current scenario where the same articles come up for sale now and then. They are circulated among licensees while prices are just pushed up by the dealers. Moreover, a similar situation also exists in the importation of air weapons, with some of them going for ridiculous prices because of an import restriction.

After about 15-20 years through the ban the dealers, led by a prominent Delhi based dealer, then approached Prime Minister Vajpayee during his tenure to lift it, having realised the futility of their earlier action. The grapevine even had it that the bureaucracy was kept nicely oiled in anticipation of lifting the ban but the Deputy Prime Minister apparently threw a spanner in the works and thats where it is today.

Anyway, this is all hearsay and I have nothing to substantiate it.

Winnie,

I know of one two people, both former Princes, who actually turned dealers to protect their firearms. Both still retain their dealership, although they are not active commercially.

In my own family's case, around that time my father deposited most of his firearms. Till as late as two years ago he tried unsuccessfully to get them back as DP (display purpose) firearms. They are still where they were deposited, some with gold scroll work muskets and shotguns.

[shooter]

I have heard of people in India (around the same times) who destroyed their priceless guns and buried them because they did not want to sell them at throw away prices.

Sad times those.