No. of Victims Killed by Licensed & Unlicensed Firearms in 2014.

[chicky]

I just read this thread and would like to give my opinion. I feel if the fatalities are only 14.82% it's a "feather in the cap" for all licensed gun owners. This is a decent figure considering the kind of irresponsible and machoistic people who somehow get licenses and who have had them for some time( though a detailed assesment would need to be made of the 14% and their constitutents. No doubt we have a long way to go in reducing this percentage). After deducting the fatalities due to accidents , the actual figure should be negligible. I feel the main issue is the existence of unlicensed arms which have contributed almost 85% of murders. This is the aspect which the MHA is concerned with and we should all be.
Let the MHA allow more licensed holders and take strict steps against those possessing unlicensed arms.

[ankur_ank007]

I just read this thread and would like to give my opinion. I feel if the fatalities are only 14.82% it's a "feather in the cap" for all licensed gun owners. This is a decent figure considering the kind of irresponsible and machoistic people who somehow get licenses and who have had them for some time( though a detailed assesment would need to be made of the 14% and their constitutents. No doubt we have a long way to go in reducing this percentage). After deducting the fatalities due to accidents , the actual figure should be negligible. I feel the main issue is the existence of unlicensed arms which have contributed almost 85% of murders. This is the aspect which the MHA is concerned with and we should all be.
Let the MHA allow more licensed holders and take strict steps against those possessing unlicensed arms.

Hi Chicky,

Exactly what I want to say. But I also want to point out that Bureaucrats and Governments since colonial times has been focussing on this "<15%" figure and not on the <85% figure.... Before we go to court we will have to get a detailed data segregated by cause of deaths....

Regards

[Dean Weingarten]

Were the licensed firearms in the hands of lawful owners, or someone else? Were the licensed firearms mostly stolen?

In the United States, there are a few states that require firearms registration. Illegal homicides committed with a registered firearm, by the legal owner of the firearm, are quite rare. Homicides committed with a registered firearm that has been stolen, are much more common.

[aadhaulya]

Were the licensed firearms in the hands of lawful owners, or someone else? Were the licensed firearms mostly stolen?

In the United States, there are a few states that require firearms registration. Illegal homicides committed with a registered firearm, by the legal owner of the firearm, are quite rare. Homicides committed with a registered firearm that has been stolen, are much more common.

Here in India a Licensed Firearm is one that is owned by some one who is authorised to hold the weapon by virtue of a license.
If the firearm is stolen it no longer remains a licensed weapon.

Atul

[shooter]

So what if licensed firearms were used?
What does that prove?

[Dean Weingarten]

Is the number of Indians who legally own guns known? I have read a number claiming that there are 5 million legal guns, but that does not mean there are 5 million legal gun owners. If we knew the number of legal gun owners we could calculate the rate of homicide with guns for legal gun owners.

[Dean Weingarten]

The numbers do not seem credible to me. Something does not add up. I would appreciate any help in understanding where I am making an error.

There are about 5 million legal, private firearms in India. There are, presumably, less than 5 million legal firearm license holders. Let us assume 5 million license holders.

In 2014, there were 540 homicides committed with licensed firearms, according to the report.

That translates to about 10.8 homicides per 100,000 license holders. That is four times as high as the average total homicide rate in India for all methods, which in 2014 was about 2.7/100,000.

This would indicate that firearm license holders are four times as likely to commit homicides, only with their licensed firearms. This, after they go through the extensive process to obtain a license.

It is not credible to me. In the U.S., people who go through the trouble to obtain a license to carry a firearm for self defense, which is far simpler than the process to become a license holder in India, have a murder/crime rate less than 1/10 that of the population as a whole.

I am open to explanations for this.

[goodboy_mentor]

The numbers do not seem credible to me. Something does not add up.

Your inference seems correct. Total number of murders(using firearms and non firearms) is missing. It appears some sort of window dressing has been done. In order to hide the real picture, only murder by firearms is being displayed. Thus the percentage appears high and alarming. It is of no consolation to victim of crime whether he has been murdered by firearm or non firearm. What matters is that whether he is armed to exercise his inalienable right of self defense. Presenting below data for years 2003 to 2007 downloaded from MHA website a few years ago -

Year    Murders   % by non firearms  % by firearms   % by licensed firearms

2003	 33,821         76.9          23.1              1.84

2004     34,915         74.8          24.2              2.32

2005     34,419         83.6          16.4              1.61

2006     33,808         83.5          16.5              1.73

2007     33,428         85.5          14.5              1.78