TRACKING WEAPONS

[kanwal]

Hindustan Times-DEC 25 2009:

In a move to check weapons seized by security forces finding their way back to the streets, the home ministry has decided to make annual audits mandatory for confiscated and obsolete weapons.

The audit, a home ministry official said, was prescribed in the draft policy to ensure that security agencies tightened control over the arms seized by them.

The new rule is part of the home ministry's overhaul of India's policy on firearms that aims at tightening the law to prevent misuse of licenced firearm and create a national database of all arms licences.

A dozen people die of gunshots in India every day.

The audit would have to be conducted for obsolete, obsolescent, confiscated, seized and recovered weapons.

"There have been instances where arms seized by security agencies in the North-East have found their way to the Hindi heartland, particularly Uttar Pradesh," said a home ministry official. Sophisticated weapons seized can only be allotted to the army, state or central police force personnel, others can be allotted to individuals who already have a valid arms licence.

The new policy also seeks to create a national database of all arms licence holders -- that would be integrated into the National Intelligence Grid at a later stage. "Arms licensing in many states is in a mess, a senior police officer said, pointing that MPs had pointed out that states such as Andhra Pradesh did not have a clue about the number of arms licences issued in the state.

This situation has arisen because the rules never required the district administration to maintain a database of all licences issued. "It has been decided to include a provision obliging the licensing authority to maintain a database and to share the data with the Central Government, which shall maintain a national database," the new draft policy said.

It also seeks to introduce the concept of bulk arms licences to private security agencies ­ rather than individual guards ­ to enable them to deal with the heightened security challenges.

There is no provision of bulk licences for security firms under existing law. Arms Rules only provide for grant of licences to a company for protection of its premises or property.

-- Fri Dec 25, 2009 15:51 --

Can anyone tell how the confiscated ( non sophisticated ) weapons can be allotted to individual license holder ?

[nagarifle]

Can anyone tell how the confiscated ( non sophisticated ) weapons can be allotted to individual license holder ?

possible meaning is the same as VIP/MP and any other who can get a gun from the Mal whats it name place for peanuts.

that what i think for all its worth.

[mundaire]

WTP had also posted a link to this at http://www.indiansforguns.com/viewtopic ... 103#p87102

WTF! So now all the information from our individual files will be under scrutiny of the National Intelligence Grid??!! In stead of invading our privacy simply because we are license holders, shouldn't they utilise their time and our (taxpayers) hard earned money on trying to catch real criminals & terrorists?!!!!

As to the dozen people a day stat, well it works out to be 4,380/ year and the wording sounds a helluva lot like a CAFI plant! So 40 million guns (legal as well as illegal) account for 4,380 firearm related deaths per year? Hmm... and the govt. has about 1.15 million men & women in Khaki, the recorded no. of custodial deaths in 2008? Ans: 188

Do the math:
40 million guns in civilian hands, 4,380 firearm deaths = 0.010% rate of fatality
on the other hand
Of 1.6 million men & women in Khaki, 188 custodial deaths = 0.012% rate of fatality (please note this merely considers recorded custodial deaths and not things like fake encounters etc.)

The evidence is in, do not fear guns, fear your friendly neighbourhood cop in stead! Time to disband the police perhaps?

[goodboy_mentor]

As regards the article http://www.hindustantimes.com/rssfeed/n ... 90240.aspx , it appears CAFI has done its wicked trick by convincing some M.P.s to indirectly help criminal elements to continue keeping their illegal weapons and penalize law abiding licensed gun holders. The failure of the state should not be compensated by invading the privacy of licensed firearms holders. What is the need to have a national database of licensed firearms holders in-spite of the licenses being issued to the "full" satisfaction/verification of licensing authorities of respective states? Is terrorism/crime committed by licensed firearms? No, then what is the real aim/need to have a database of people who have already gone through due legal process and satisfied the licensing authority? This idea of "National" database seems to have been copied from U.K. I would say this is not actually tracking weapons but tracking individual citizens, their movement, their privacy.

I strongly feel there is a need for us to have IFG in real world, that would take up these issues. Mere online presence is not sufficient. We should also make our representation/presentation of our views to Home Minister/M.P.s etc. before these sinister designs to penalize law abiding citizens for indirect benefit of criminal elements take form

[mundaire]

I will leave you with this thought:

There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.

[goodboy_mentor]

I agree, but it leaves me without any sort of consolation or satisfaction at being just a spectator to these misdeeds taking place. CAFI did a presentation to M.P.s to brainwash them, what is actually preventing us from forming an organization and present our views based on facts to Home Minister/M.P.s as an organization?