Senior police officers say they are only acting on directives issued by higher authorities and are thus busy plugging loopholes to make laws pertaining to possession of firearms watertight. "We have no problems with players possessing firearms. But there have been many instances when nefarious individuals have posed as shooters to obtain licenses and it is only natural that the rules are being tightened to stop this racket," says city police commissioner AK Khan, who is also the licensing authority.
Khan says there are approximately 7,000 licensed weapons in the city and there is a need to monitor their whereabouts.The police have cancelled 150 of a total of 4,773 firearm licenses in the city. "Approximately 100 were cancelled due to criminal cases," says joint commissioner of police Mahesh Bhagwat.
Shooters are predictably upset. "The government in collusion with the police is leaving no stone unturned to bury gun culture in a city which has a rich history of firearms," says big-bore shooter Syed Akbar Nizamuddin Hussaini.
"Earlier, there was only one thorough investigation carried out before issuing a license but now reinvestigations are being conducted at the time of each renewal. The convoluted laws and arm-twisting tactics of the police officials are designed to force the licensee into selling his weapon."
regards
p k jeetesh
