Guns/ Arms/ Firearms: India
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[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F03%2F06&entity=Ar00220&sk=8368040E&mode=text Sidharth Bhardwaj, Capital’s gun shops not gung-ho any more as sales go off target, March 6, 2018: ''The Times of India''] | [https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F03%2F06&entity=Ar00220&sk=8368040E&mode=text Sidharth Bhardwaj, Capital’s gun shops not gung-ho any more as sales go off target, March 6, 2018: ''The Times of India''] | ||
| − | [[File: Delhi, 2018 | + | [[File: Delhi, 2018- Buyers prefer guns, revolvers over rifles.jpg|Delhi, 2018: Buyers prefer guns, revolvers over rifles <br/> From: [https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F03%2F06&entity=Ar00220&sk=8368040E&mode=text Sidharth Bhardwaj, Capital’s gun shops not gung-ho any more as sales go off target, March 6, 2018: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]] |
Whenever there is gun firing in schools in the United States, the shots are heard with consternation in Delhi. “Ours is a very sensitive trade and an incident of this sort affects us more severely than it does their National Rifle Association,” says Anil Sawhney, owner of Delhi Gun House at Kashmere Gate. Sawhney isn’t exaggeratinng. While the American gun rights organisation has staunchly weathered all hostile criticism in the face of increasing incidence of public use of weapons, the gun trade in the capital is almost at an impasse. | Whenever there is gun firing in schools in the United States, the shots are heard with consternation in Delhi. “Ours is a very sensitive trade and an incident of this sort affects us more severely than it does their National Rifle Association,” says Anil Sawhney, owner of Delhi Gun House at Kashmere Gate. Sawhney isn’t exaggeratinng. While the American gun rights organisation has staunchly weathered all hostile criticism in the face of increasing incidence of public use of weapons, the gun trade in the capital is almost at an impasse. | ||
Revision as of 22:14, 7 March 2018
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content.
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Contents |
Firearm accidents
Illegal fireams industry
Illegal arms factories within 200km of Delhi
As if illegal weapon manufacturing modules in Meerut, Munger and Madhya Pradesh were not enough, such factories are now being unearthed in UP and the bordering areas of Delhi as well. A number of factories are apparently being run within the 200km radius of the capital. Last mont h, the eastern range police had busted one right on the Delhi-UP border.
The ease with which a cri minal can procure a weapon is alarming, officers said. In the first six months of this year, the number of cases, seized weapons and arrests -all have gone up, the police data reveal.
Till June 15, around 468 weapons were seized. It crosses the 500 mark if the 37 weapons seized by the Special Cell in the last two days are added to it. In the whole of 2016, 301 weapons were seized.
Till June 15, 390 cases have been registered compared to 315 during the same period last year.
The uninterrupted supply of bullets is also worrying the police. DCP (Special Cell) Sanjeev Yadav said 180 cartridges were seized in the recent bust. While guns can be locally made, the bullets can't be. They are illegally sourced from ordnance factories and authorised arms dealers, officers said.
Last year, the Special Cell had found Maoist links to these modules as well. The UP gangs were found lending carriers and logistical support in return of raw material and workers. In the past five years, the Khargone group from MP has spread its roots and surpassed the conventional hubs like Munger and Meerut.
“The demand for illegal weapons is high in Delhi.Gangs of outer, southwest and west Delhi buy them not only for their criminal activities but also to strengthen their land-grabbing rackets,“ said a senior officer.
Besides phone calls, gunrunners even have a weaponon-demand facility under which arms and bullets are available through text and WhatsApp messages.
The latter is preferred as the customer gets to see photos of the arms. He can even post the picture of a desired weapon for a replica. The buyers even get heavy discounts on bulk purchase and can take the delivery as per their convenience.
Arms made in India
Rifle Factory Ishapore
Nidar, 250 gm revolver
The Times of India Feb 02 2016
Arvind Chauhan
Boosting the `Make in India' initiative, Rifle Factory Ishapore has indigenously developed the country's lightest revolver, `Nidar' which weighs a mere 250 gm, half the weight of an earlier model Nirbheek', which was exclusively designed for women.
According to officials, the idea behind creating Nidar was to arm office-going professional men and women, so that they can defend themselves on city streets. The premier Indian small arms manufacturer will launch the revolver on February 2. “The .22 calibre Nidar is the lightest revolver ever made in India, with the cheapest price tag of Rs 35,000. It is capable of firing eight rounds loaded in a revolving chamber, compared to Nirbheek, which has a six-round capacity ,“ said PK Aggarwal, officer-in-charge of Rifle Factory Ishapore.
The weapon, said the factory's public relations officer SS Naskar, can be carried in a small purse, handbag or even trouser and jacket pockets.
When TOI asked local offi ce-going women for their opinion on the new lightweight revolver, they expressed interest and excitement. “I will definitely buy one, as I often face miscreants chasing my car.However, I will need training to fire the weapon,“ said Deeksha Singh, who works with a finance company .
Firearms licensees, state-wise
Uttar Pradesh: districts with a gun culture
Shalabh, Jan 24, 2017: The Times of India
Infamous for violent election battles, civilians hold almost five times more firearms than the police department in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. The state accounts for the highest number of firearms licensees in the country (10.76 lakh), followed by Punjab (4.50 lakh) and Madhya Pradesh (2.70 lakh).In contrast, 2.50 lakh police personnel have about 2.25 lakh weapons to use.
Gearing up for the elections, the police department recently carried out a survey to identify arms licence-holders across all the 75 districts in the state. It was found that in 14 districts, arms licences have been issued to more than 20,000 people. The situation seems more alarming in west UP where the number of people with arms licences is quite high.
TOI found gun culture was most prevalent in Yadav bastions with density of guntoting people being the highest in Etah and Mainpuri districts. So while in Kanpur one in 168 individuals possesses a gun, in Etah and Mainpuri one in 58 and one in 77, respectively , flaunt guns.
Contrary to the perception that the gun culture is not so popular in Awadh region, which is considered urbanized compared to Poorvanchal, Bundelkhand, Rohilkhand and west UP (upper, middle and lower Doab), in Lucknow one in 81 individuals has an arms licence. “More than security , guns are used as a status symbol in UP . In the Chambal region, people are so obsessed that they often sell their land to buy rifles. A person without a gun is considered an outcast in some villages,“ said former DGP Shri Ram Arun.
Between September 2015 and February 2016, 12 cases of violence were reported in UP during panchayat polls.According to the Association of Democratic Reforms, 340 candidates with serious criminal cases against them, such as murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, robbery , extortion etc, were in the fray in the 2012 assembly polls.
DGP S Javeed Ahmad said, “We have been cautious while dealing with applicants for the past one year. Those seeking licences as family heir are the only ones that have been entertained. The numbers of licence-holders has come down.“
Retail sales
Delhi: Buyers prefer guns, revolvers over rifles
From: Sidharth Bhardwaj, Capital’s gun shops not gung-ho any more as sales go off target, March 6, 2018: The Times of India
Whenever there is gun firing in schools in the United States, the shots are heard with consternation in Delhi. “Ours is a very sensitive trade and an incident of this sort affects us more severely than it does their National Rifle Association,” says Anil Sawhney, owner of Delhi Gun House at Kashmere Gate. Sawhney isn’t exaggeratinng. While the American gun rights organisation has staunchly weathered all hostile criticism in the face of increasing incidence of public use of weapons, the gun trade in the capital is almost at an impasse.
Gun sellers claim that the several bans on hunting, amateur shooting, import of guns and on foreign ammunition are reasons why sales have turned sluggish. As far back as four years ago, the number of guns sold in a year in Delhi had come down from around 500 to a tenth of that. Rifles hardly sell these days, the .32 bore revolver being the one sought by customers in the capital and for which police get the most applications.
At Singh Arms Corporation neighbouring Sawhney’s establishment, Charan Pal Singh Ghei has stocked quality gun holsters, which are now the primary sale items in one of Delhi’s oldest weapons stores. In his 80s now, the old man recalls the 1950s as being the golden age for the trade. People bought firearms then for hunting and for amateur sports. “Today, the primary reason for buying a gun is self-defence, but we can sell arms only according to the licences issued by the authorities,” explains Ghei, who is president of the Delhi Arms Dealers Association.
Sawhney has turned to exporting weapon-cleaning kits and knives to Europe to augment his meagre trade in air pistols and rifles. “New laws are being drafted to ensure digitisation of licence renewals, but there are teething problems,” Sawhney says, ruing the reduction of his business to a mere 25% of what it was a decade ago. Like him, many others too have taken to marketing air pistols, which don’t require a licence. At least, this business is doing well, helped in no small measure by India’s marksmen making a splash in international shooting championships.
But licensing procedures continue to remain a hurdle, often hitting the supply of bullets and accessories. “I ordered items worth Rs 60 lakh a year ago, but my licence has been pending renewal for a year. In the mean time, I’ve run out of ammunitions,” grumbles one seller. “The ordnance factories won’t give my trucks travel papers until my licence is cleared.”
To the legitimate gun sellers’ chagrin, however, there is a thriving grey market for firearms. “Getting a licensed gun requires verification and the price is prohibitive. I got one for half the Rs 75,000 that I would have paid for it legally,” confided one buyer. “It is easy to procure them and there’s no difference in the gun quality.”
Delhi policemen confirmed the easy availability of sophisticated illegal weapons in the city, with one officer claiming that products are smuggled out of ordnance factories for grey-market disposal.
