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Posted on 01/31/2010 6:40:20 PM PST by The Magical Mischief Tour
In the land of Mahatma Gandhi, Indian gun owners are coming out of the shadows for the first time to mobilize, U.S.-style, against proposed new curbs on bearing arms.
When gunmen attacked 10 sites in Mumbai in November 2008, including two five-star hotels and a train station, Mumbai resident Kumar Verma sat at home glued to the television, feeling outraged and unsafe.
Before the end of December, Verma and his friends had applied for gun licenses. He read up on India's gun laws and joined the Web forum Indians for Guns. When he got his license seven months later, he bought a black, secondhand, snub-nose Smith & Wesson revolver with a walnut grip.
"I feel safe wearing it in my ankle holster every day," said Verma, 27, who runs a family business selling fire-protection systems. "I have a right to self-protection, because random street crime and terrorism have increased. The police cannot be there for everybody all the time. Now I am a believer in the right to keep and bear arms."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
“Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the act depriving a whole nation of arms, as the blackest.” — Mahatma Gandhi
He may have striven for peace, but he was no idiot.
Most intelligent people strive for peace; they simply understand the difference between true peace and subservience.
India has the potential for a very bright future and seems to be on a steady course towards same. I wish I could say the same for America.
10 terrorist attackers, no matter how “heavily armed,” won’t get far if 1000 pissed-off locals immediately return fire on their position.
Admittedly, this is likely to result in a number of locals being hit by not particularly well aimed friendly fire, but that’s a whole lot better than what happened in Bombay.
Good.
Why do you think Colt called it the “Peacemaker”?
Ah, the spark of Liberty.
“When he got his license seven months later . . . “
My Tennessee handgun carry permit arrived in the mail six weeks after I applied!!!
In Alaska you can buy a handgun today and start carrying it concealed immediately, no permit or license required.
BTTT
OTOH, Ghandi made what are, to me, some idiotic statements like advising Jews, during Hitler's reign, to jump off of cliffs rather than submit to the Nazi roundup.
Good for them, freedom should be a common goal for all men!
Meanwhile, Britain rushed new legislation to ban butter knives, and outlaw concealed carrying of toothpicks:
Restaurant outlaws the ‘dangerous’ dental sticks
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1245019/Restaurant-refuses-diner-toothpick-dangerous.html
Retired deputy headteacher John Freeman had enjoyed a three-course meal at the Macdonald Portal Golf and Spa Hotel when he realised he had a piece of rib- eye steak stuck between teeth.
But when Mr Freeman asked the waiter for assistance, he was astonished by the response.
‘He apologised but said he was not allowed to give me a toothpick for health and safety reasons,’ said the 63-year-old. ‘I asked him if he was joking, but he said it wasn’t April 1 and there weren’t any in the hotel.
‘I told him it was nonsense and asked to speak to the manager for an explanation, indicating there were 14 very dangerous metal knives and forks on my table that had been unsupervised for at least two hours.
‘The manager agreed it was ludicrous, but assured me there had been a directive from head office not to provide toothpicks because they are potentially dangerous.’
Arms for Manipur villagers to keep insurgents at bay
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2020355/posts
Imphal, INDIA. May 4 (IANS) Authorities in Manipur, one of northeast India’s worst insurgency-hit states, have decided to arm villagers with weapons to enable them protect themselves from militants and control rebel activities, officials said Sunday. “The state cabinet has decided to train up to 500 villagers in the districts of Thoubal and Imphal West and provide them weapons after local residents rose in revolt against excesses committed by armed militants who have been killing civilians and extorting cash,” said Manipur Irrigation and Flood Control Minister N. Biren.
A militant group March 24 killed three people - two teenaged girls and a boy - at Heirok village, and later killed another man at Chajing. Following these incidents, villagers rose in revolt and pressed the government to give them weapons.
To start with, 300 men from Heirok and 200 from Chajing villages would be recruited, given a month’s training on handling weapons and will be provided with .303 rifles. They will also be paid a monthly consolidated salary of Rs.3,000 each.
The new force, whose personnel shall be called ’special police officers’, would be in place from the middle of June.
Manipur, bordering Myanmar (Burma), has over two dozen active rebel groups pushing demands ranging from secession from India to maximum autonomy.
No insurgent group from Manipur is engaged in peace talks with the Indian government so far, although around six rag-tag Kuki ethnic rebel outfits are on a ceasefire with the authorities.
The decision to provide weapons to civilians has drawn criticism from civil society and rights groups.
“The move will encourage bloodshed in Manipur among people of the same ethnic origin,” said a statement by the United Committee Manipur (UCM), a civil society combine.
More than 10,000 people have been killed in insurgency-related violence in Manipur during the past decade.
State Cabinet says yes to armed community policing for two localities; 500 hand-picked volunteers to form first batch
The Imphal Free Press
http://www.kanglaonline.com/index.php?template=headline&newsid=41979&typeid=1
IMPHAL, May 2, 2008: A new system of policing allowing people to protect themselves from attacks and extortions carried out by militants was discussed and okayed at a Cabinet meeting under the chair of the state chief minister, O Ibobi Singh on Friday, an official source said.
Earlier in the day, two top officials of the Union ministry of home affairs arrived in the state capital and started assessment of the law and order situation once again.
A source said as per the Cabinet decision two units of security posts under the control of newly designated Special Police Officers will be set up at the earliest, within June this year, at Heirok and Lilong Chajing where locals are protesting against killing of local men by militants in recent times.
The Cabinet agreed to select 500 local volunteers, 300 from Heirok in Thoubal district and 200 from Lilong Chajing, and impart training on the use of weapons and techniques to protect themselves from the militants. They will be deployed in their respective localities with the weapons supplied by the state government under the control of the special police officer unit.
The volunteers will be given a stipend of Rs. 3000 per month, the source said.
The decision was taken after the Cabinet thoroughly discussed the situation arising out of the revolt by the two localities against the militants and considering their demands for supply of weapons, the source said.
Apart from approving the establishment of two units of Special Police Officers, one each at Heirok and Lilong Chajing, the Cabinet further approved to conduct recruitment of 300 volunteers from Heirok and 200 for Lilong Chajing and Shantipur.
The selection of the volunteers from their respective villages will be done through the deputy commissioner concerned.
The selection of volunteers and other necessary processes will be completed within June this year and selected candidates will be given special training under the sponsorship of the state police department.
They will be armed with .303 rifles and other weapons for use in safeguarding the locals from militant attacks.
The official source further said that the functioning of the SPO would be under the supervision of the concerned district superintendent of police.
Mention may be made that residents of Heirok and Lilong Chajing are presently confronting the militants after militants shot dead local people recently. They are pressing the state government for provision of weapons to protect themselves from the armed militants.
Angered by the killing of three local youths including two teenage girls and a boy in indiscriminate firing on the night of March 24 by cadres of a militant group and severe injuries to another girl, the people of Heirok have banned the underground groups and are demanding the state government supply weapons to them.
In a similar manner, after the killing of a man in front of his son at Lilong Chajing on the night of April 23, the locals of Lilong Chajing and Shantipur are also opposing the militants and also demanding licenced guns to face the militants.
On the other hand, the chief minister during separate meetings held earlier with the locals of Heirok and Lilong Chajing gave his assurance to fulfill the demands of the respective villages.
He also assured to provide licenced arms to protect the respective villages from any militant actions and to keep the areas as secured zones.
The Cabinet decision was believed to be a follow up of his assurance today, the source said.
In the meantime, two officials of the Union ministry of home affairs, MB Kaushal, advisor north east and Naveen Verma, joint secretary (north east) who arrived at the state capital held a meeting with the top officials of the state home department on the law and order front of the state as a part of the action taken report after the visit of a high level team led by the Union cabinet secretary to the state.
The meeting with state chief secretary, Jarnail Singh and DGP, Y Joykumar also part of the state official team was held inside the Kangla fort after the two officials of the MHA attended a meeting of the Kangla Board in the office of the state chief minister today at around 2 pm.
The state DGP also called on the visiting officials and discussed the follow up action on the decision taken regarding media management in the meeting held with the Union cabinet secretary on April 26.
The two officials will also attend a meeting of the Strategy and Operational Group, SOG tomorrow at the old secretariat building, the source said.
They would have at least died with dignity jumping off cliffs.
BUMP
You’ll like this one.
What’s the crime rate in Alaska like, just out of curiosity?
That’s a good point.
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