amk";p="37931 wrote:My point is; Yeah laws and procedures are screwed up in our country but it can be worse in many other places we consider progressive and free.
Not really, the all pervading cancer of corruption that ails our institutions is very much a part of the licensing system for firearms as well. Unless one is doggedly determined, combine with a good dose of luck, arms applications require either money or "pull" to be pushed through. How is it that mafia dons with several pending cases against them manage to get several arms licenses on the names of their wives/ relatives while an honest law abiding engineer (for example), earning an honest living and going about applying for his license without offering anyone a bribe is denied - with insufficient reasons given for owning a firearm quoted as the reason for denial?
Who is to decide whether one has sufficient reason? And why so much discretionary power if it is to be abused so blatantly? Should a law abiding citizen of a free country not have the right to determine whether or not he would feel safer with a firearm without having to prove some sort of direct threat to his life? Is the deteriorating law & order situation in India not be reason enough for him to take preventive action by arming and training himself? What if he just wants to indulge in some occasional plinking with a rifle? Does he by FORCE have to participate in ISSF style competitions (in which he has no interest) just to prove that he'd like to make the occasional trip to the range for some fun?
If we are a democracy and base our style of government on the premise that citizens given the right to choose their own government (and destiny) will make responsible choices - then why do we forget this premise and treat applicants for gun licenses in the reverse manner, presuming them to be irresponsible unless proven otherwise? Free and fair laws and judicial systems presume an accused to be innocent unless proven guilty, then why do we take the other direction and presume arms license applicants as guilty unless proven innocent?
Do you really believe that a poor farmer living in a village 25-30 km from the nearest police station, has no need for a firearm to protect himself/ his family/ home against possible assailants? Or are we so elitist as a society to consider his life/ his families lives/ safety to be not important enough to deserve any protection? Do you think that under the current licensing regime he'd be just able to walk into the DM/ SDM's office and walk out with a license - without having to shell out money/ apply pull? What if he has access to neither? Would he not be tempted to pick up a cheap country made firearm as some basic form of protection and then hope that if the need arises the damn thing doesn't blow up in his hands!!
1. Make the arms licensing process objective and fair - no licenses for people with criminal antecedents, mental illnesses or no safe place to store a firearm. For everyone else it should be automatically given on the successful completion of a firearms handling/ gun safety course.
2. Make proper firearms training mandatory (see above)
3. Make available shooting ranges at every tehsil or at least district level and provide subsidised ammunition to everyone at the range. Gun owners competent in using their firearm are an asset to society, a gun owner who does not know how to handle his gun safely/ accurately is a liability. The Swiss government follows this policy and anyone can go to a firing range and shoot cheap ammo there to keep their skills honed to decent levels, which is why the Swiss have always been renown as some of the best rifle marksmen in Europe! BTW how much violent crime do you think occurs in Switzerland? Do you think a burgler is going to want to break into the house of someone when he knows there is a 50-50 chance that the resident will be armed and trained damn well in how to use his firearms?
4. Do away with the government monopoly on handgun/ rifle and ammunition production - allow for the entry of big private players into this field
5. Open the import of arms and ammuntion - on a commercial basis. If the super NO-NO (anyone over 30 would recall those days) import of cars has been done away with, what's the logic behind restricting the import of arms & ammo? Are we to suffer IOFB made junk forever?
6. Remove the silly prohibition on service calibres! If we do not trust our men in uniform, from whom we expect that they will be ready to lay down their lives for the tricolour... if assume that they would be black marketing service ammo, then it's a sorry state of affairs indeed!
I'd say if these 6 points are followed, it'd be a good start...
Cheers!
Abhijeet
Or I would've met the fate of the poor Brazilian!!!
