Can I bring a firearm on a visit to India?

The legal aspects of owning, shooting, importing arms/ ammo and other related legal aspects as well as any other legal queries. Please note: This INCLUDES all arms licensing issues/ queries!
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mehulkamdar

Can I bring a firearm on a visit to India?

Post by mehulkamdar » Thu Oct 19, 2006 11:55 pm

Friends,

I just may come to India in Jan. I am, as you guys know, an Indian citizen. Have a gun license in India for a 12 bore and a 22 lr rifle. Have a FOID in Illinois to own just about any gun I want. I am wondering if I could bring a rifle and some ammo for members at IFG to shoot when I am in India - I have a special treat in mind for you guys if this is possible. 8)

Could someone please check the laws and let me know? Also, I don;t mind travelling a bit - the wedding is in Mumbai but I shall be in India for about 15 days if I come. What are the rules for travelling with a foreign rifle?

Finally, if this could be done, just find ranges where you guys could pot away with something big. :wink: really, really big. :mrgreen: And get the dumbells out if you're going to shoot it - I am going to video the champs here and someone can video me shooting the thing. :lol:

Cheers!

Mehul
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dev
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Post by dev » Fri Oct 20, 2006 11:26 am

So how many suitcases will it take to carry it? ;-)

Will you be coming thru Delhi by any chance?
How many push ups do I need to be able to do?

Great idea and I hope that you don't get too bruised by the dorks in charge of customs etc.

Regards,

Dev
mehulkamdar";p="5127 wrote: Friends,

I just may come to India in Jan. I am, as you guys know, an Indian citizen. Have a gun license in India for a 12 bore and a 22 lr rifle. Have a FOID in Illinois to own just about any gun I want. I am wondering if I could bring a rifle and some ammo for members at IFG to shoot when I am in India - I have a special treat in mind for you guys if this is possible. 8)

Could someone please check the laws and let me know? Also, I don;t mind travelling a bit - the wedding is in Mumbai but I shall be in India for about 15 days if I come. What are the rules for travelling with a foreign rifle?

Finally, if this could be done, just find ranges where you guys could pot away with something big. :wink: really, really big. :mrgreen: And get the dumbells out if you're going to shoot it - I am going to video the champs here and someone can video me shooting the thing. :lol:

Cheers!

Mehul
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eljefe
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Post by eljefe » Fri Oct 20, 2006 12:53 pm

Hope this works out Mehul,If you are headed bangalore side, i can get the jefferey out of wraps and splurge the hoarded ammo-apt oppurtunity, this.
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Sakobav
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Post by Sakobav » Fri Oct 20, 2006 7:44 pm

Dev

Luckily airlines only allow 50 pounds a bag (except for Air India) and then it depends whose wedding is it inlaw side then add 2o punds more. If he brings the guns thats a seprate story..
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mehulkamdar

Re: Can I bring a rifle on a visit to India?

Post by mehulkamdar » Fri Oct 20, 2006 8:02 pm

Friends,

The trip is still not final but if all goes well, then Mark and I shall definitely be comingtogether. I have access to a very large collection of big bore rifles and am thinking of borrowing something like a 505 Gibbs to bring there if all goes well. The gentleman also has a 600 OK but it has a muzzle break and that would take the punch out of shooting it. :lol:

I am trying to figure out what the regulations are - if there is going to be a legal hassle I don't want to try this. Who knows? The idiots in government may decide that I am out to poach elephants or end civilization as we know it. :mrgreen: The rifle also is a very valuable one belonging to someone else. Hence my caution.

Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and Chennai would be on the cards. With 15 days total and four of those taken away in travelling, I shall be able to spend approximately two days in each place. I am familiar with transporting guns by air - all I need to know is what the laws are in India, whom I have to apply to for permissions etc. And that, if it is possible.

I would appreciate any advice on this. Also, please let me know how many rounds of ammunition I could bring along. Will need to work how many each person could shoot. If we are shooting at a public range, it would have to allow big bores. At private ranges, of course, all that would be needed would be a big enough backstop.

This would be an opportunity to meet friends on IFG and also for members in India to get a feel of shooting something really big. I'm just not sure whether this is possible or not.

Cheers,

Mehul
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Mack The Knife
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Post by Mack The Knife » Fri Oct 20, 2006 9:29 pm

Mehul,

Your best bet would be the Indian embassy. As for rounds, I think you will be permitted 50 but best to check on this as well.

It's a laudable idea but not a very practical one. If you get a twit at the other end of the counter, you could end up spending your holiday running from pillar to post or the rifle will have to be put in bond until your departure.

Also, have you given thought to how you will travel within India without a gun licence? If the Indian embassy can give you some documentation that permits you to travel with the rifle, then fair enough. Otherwise the rifle will have to stay in Bombay. Not that Monish would mind.... :roll:

Sorry to be a Glass Half Empty.

Mack The Knife
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mehulkamdar

Re: Can I bring a rifle on a visit to India?

Post by mehulkamdar » Fri Oct 20, 2006 10:15 pm

Mack The Knife,

I have already e-mailed the Indian Consulate General in Chicago but have not heard back from them. If I don't hear by Monday, I'll try to get an appointment with the CG and find out. I have asked my wife to send a scanned copy of my Indian license in case the babus at this ed require it but I have little use for it as it does not cover the gun that I would like to bring. I am trying to figure out if there is some kind of temporary license that could be grantd for the duration of the trip for me to bring the gun in. As far as the ammunition is concerned, 50 rounds may not sound like much, but in a 505 Gibbs I am not sure anyone is going to want to shoot more than one. :lol:

Will check on Monday with the Lord Protestor of the Indian Republic in Chicago and revert. I hope there is a way to do this - it would be fun and I am sure everyone would enjoy it, well, maybe not enjoy shooting it more than once. :mrgreen: It is not going to be psosible for the group to meet in the US and that is why I thought about this option.

In the meantime, if anyone has any suggestions about the procedures involved, I would appreciate them. Not knowing the rules, I am not going to be able to argue with the babus here or in India if I have to. penpusher? Piyush? You guys are the law experts...

Mehul

PS Mack The Knife, if I can bring it in and am restricted to one city, I could come in to Bangalore and leave it with you. That might be a more practical option than taking it to Mumbai with a wedding to attend there... If you don't mind, that is.
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Sakobav
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Post by Sakobav » Fri Oct 20, 2006 10:45 pm

Mehul

You might have to educate the CG on Indian gun laws with Abhijeet or penpusher's advise. Regarding bullets you would need the actual lic for transportation. Thats what my cousin had. Maybe you should leave the colored scanned copies in India ( notarized or attested) and get the original here. I will try to confirm this from India
Make sure CG doesnt confuse your inquiry with residence transfer rules.
All the best
Navdeep
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Mack The Knife
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Re: Can I bring a rifle on a visit to India?

Post by Mack The Knife » Fri Oct 20, 2006 10:51 pm

I am trying to figure out if there is some kind of temporary license that could be grantd for the duration of the trip for me to bring the gun in.
There has to be one or else how would foreign target shooters be allowed to bring their guns? Call it a permit if you like. Just don't know where to find this blasted rule.
Mack The Knife, if I can bring it in and am restricted to one city, I could come in to Bangalore and leave it with you. That might be a more practical option than taking it to Mumbai with a wedding to attend there... If you don't mind, that is.
YEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!!!!

Me, mind? Have you gone of your ruddy trolly? :mrgreen:

Right then, you legal lot, find the ruddy rule or there will be a few yellow cards being dished out. :twisted: :wink:
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eljefe
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Post by eljefe » Fri Oct 20, 2006 11:01 pm

Need the dates-I'll have to ditch the family hol for a couple of days...hope the wife wont kneecap me with her latest gift of the ppk/s!
''It dont mean a thing, if it aint got that zing!''

"...Oh but if I went 'round sayin' I was Emperor, just because some moistened bint lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away..."
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Mack The Knife
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Post by Mack The Knife » Fri Oct 20, 2006 11:33 pm

Buzz off, Asif. She's all mine.

I'll send you pics. Promise! :mrgreen:
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Sujay
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Post by Sujay » Fri Oct 20, 2006 11:48 pm

Mack The Knife Bana";p="5169 wrote:
Right then, you legal lot, find the ruddy rule or there will be a few yellow cards being dished out. :twisted: :wink:
I get some long hard looks when I laugh out aloud ; suddenly.

It has also been noticed in my house that there is 'particular web site ' which
makes me do this. 8)
A man should have a hobby. It keeps him out of trouble.
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eljefe
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Post by eljefe » Sat Oct 21, 2006 1:09 am

get in queue and stop shoving!
Hoora
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''It dont mean a thing, if it aint got that zing!''

"...Oh but if I went 'round sayin' I was Emperor, just because some moistened bint lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away..."
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eljefe
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Post by eljefe » Sat Oct 21, 2006 1:10 am

Sujay,
ditto here-wife knew I was nutty when she married me-now its confirmed that am certifiable...
''It dont mean a thing, if it aint got that zing!''

"...Oh but if I went 'round sayin' I was Emperor, just because some moistened bint lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away..."
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mehulkamdar

Re: Can I bring a rifle on a visit to India?

Post by mehulkamdar » Sat Oct 21, 2006 5:40 am

Gentlemen,

No reply yet from the CG's office. I'll have to call on Monday and get an appointment to meet him. I would appreciate help on the laws as Navdeep suggests so that I could meet them with some facts in hand. I cannot blame them for not knowing the law behind this kind of thing as I am almost sure that none of the staff there would ever have got a request like mine.

Would appreciate it if Abhijeet/penpusher/Piyush would step in and let me know what the rules are. In an act of desperation (because I need to prepare for this in advance) I also sent the Indian Shooting website an e-mail to ask them if they could give me any information on this. Haven't heard back from them as well, but it would have been night in India when I mailed. In any case, unless I am 100% sure that I could bring it along, I shall not be taking any risk because the rifle belongs to a friend and is a very valuable one. I would love to bring it so we could have some fun and some pictures to post on IFG, a kind of mug's gallery of sorts. :lol:

Cheers!

Mehul
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