How licensed arms help thwart this terror attack

[mundaire]

http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab ... 12623.html

He engaged ultras with borrowed ammo for half hour


Ravi Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service
Dinanagar, July 28

The residents of Dinanagar are saluting one of their own, Head Constable Sham Sunder (43), who kept at the bay the militants for a good 30-odd minutes after borrowing weapons and ammunition from one of his friends before security forces commenced the actual operation.

Sham Sunder was on the verge of completing his morning walk when he heard a sudden burst of gunfire originating from the rear of the bus stand. A friend told him that some fire crackers were being burst by “some wayward children early in the morning.” But Sham Sunder refused to believe what his friend told him. His policing instincts—he has been with the force for the last 23 years—told him the sound was not of firecrackers. The high decibel sound was a result of somebody firing from an AK-47 rifle.

He immediately rushed to his second floor residential quarters, located within the precincts of the police station, and knocked the door of his flat. Relieved after finding that his wife, son and daughter were safe, Sham Sunder rushed to the roof and engaged the militants who had been holed up 30 metres away in the old DSP building. Before reaching his residence, Sham Sunder had called up his friend Pran Nath Khajuria and had asked him to hand him over whatever licensed weapons he had. Khajuria ran to his residence and within five minutes he handed over Sham Sunder a .12 bore rifle, a .32 bore revolver and 50 rounds of ammunition.

Armed, Sham Sunder took charge on his roof and started firing at the militants. “They had telescopic rifles. Their aim was good. They seemed to be highly trained sharp shooters. I kept on firing as I knew that the police would take nearly an hour to take out the ammunition needed for the operation from the Malkhana located in the Police Lines. First I used my revolver but then I sensed it was not effective keeping in view its limited range. I kept it aside and started using my rifle,” he disclosed.

His wife Ramal Kanta, son Tushar (15) and daughter Diksha (12) kept on requesting Sham Sunder to come down from the roof which by now had been converted into a mini battleground. The head constable, wearing a kurta pyjama, was not willing to listen. After 15 minutes his movements on the rooftop caught the attention of SP (Headquarters) Salwinder Singh. The SP asked him to come down and get dressed in his police uniform.

Sham Sunder clambered down, crawled into his residence and within no time he was again exchanging fire with the militants after wearing his uniform. This continued for nearly 30 minutes till the first batch of armed security personnel made their presence felt. “I made them waste nearly 50 odd bullets. They were firing from AK-47 guns,” he added.

Sham Sunder has his ancestral house in Dinanagar town but for the last seven years he has been staying in the residential quarters meant for policemen inside the police station. Ever since yesterday’s pyrotechnics, Sham Sunder has become a hero among both his colleagues and residents.

Contrast the above with what happened in Mumbai.

[snIPer]

Wow, this is nice to read. Hats of to the gentleman who had the presence of mind and courage to engage the armed militants. Also goes to show what armed citizens can do in such real life situations.
Hope the government realizes the importance of arming the citizens at least now and encourages citizens to bear arms.
/S

[aadhaulya]

Very well done.

[chicky]

I too strongly believe in allowing arms to law abiding citizens. It would do , under the present circumstances , more good and eventually help the Police (like it did in this case).
And ,of course a big round of applause to Head Constable Sham Sunder...well done.

Chicky

[HSharief]

The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. It doesn't have to be always a policeman. Time and again it is proven, I hope more people realize this.

[kanwal]

Great !!

Salutes...to hero

[kanwar76]

I was talking the same with one of my friend in office that i think I saw a guy with a shotty in the news.

I have no hope with yhe govt. its going to stay same for normal citizens


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[goodboy_mentor]

It looks like maximum 50 cartridges ammunition quota prevented this man from carrying on further. The terrorists would have said "Long live the quota!" Are the brilliant men in MHA listening?

[AgentDoubleS]

Bravo!

The anti gun ownership groups needs to see that in In a world of complete ban the only firearms that would have been missing from this scene would have been those in the hands of Sham Sunder.

[StampMaster]

Hats off to Sham Sundar Ji for his bravery.

The main reason for Hitler not to invade USA during World War II was that majority of people there are well armed and had sufficient training to retaliate.

[Prabhath]

Respect to the head constable. His presence of mind and courage would surely have helped in the situation. Hope someone higher up reads this article and recognises his efforts and also look at the broader picture and take concrete steps towards RKBA.

[ckkalyan]

Bravo, well done Sham Sunder! What a man!

[brihacharan]

Bravo, well done Sham Sunder! What a man!

Briha

[essdee1972]

All that could have been said, has been said already.

I will just add my respects for a very brave man, and fond hopes that some eyes will be opened by this incident!

[Anand]

A brave man no doubt, Some thing we have to be thankful such men are there protecting us!
If the Government saw that it, and us licensees as one, instead of treating us like criminals, then what a force multiplier we would be for it. Imagine if the bad guys/terrorists/criminals did not know how many civilians were packing licensed guns, how inclined do you think they would be to attack? Their success or impact lays in our complacence and lack of readiness.
The cops are humans too, they cant be at all places at all times to prevent these attacks, neither can the Government be held responsible for prevention in all cases, but once the situation starts, those under attack should have recourse to an adequate response, thereby buying enough time for the Police or Paramilitary forces to arrive.
As sensational as the attack on our Parliament or the Taj Mumbai was, what were the change in gun laws? Those very laws that are helpful on the ground as the situation unravels? I am not talking of the response time of the Armed forces.
The Arms Law/Rules were made "stricter" for the licensees!! Hypothetically, if this gentleman had access to a civilian(semi auto) AK 47 or such other gun, instead of a .32 revolver and .12 Bore "Rifle" as the media reported, you could bet that this episode may have been a lot shorter and the valuable lives of our officers and civilians may have been saved.
Regards,
Anand