Time to buy another gun.
I live in India and I am a proud firearm owner - but I am the exception not the norm, an odd situation in a country with a proud martial heritage and a long history of firearm innovation. This is not because the people of India are averse to gun ownership, but instead due to Draconian anti-gun legislation going back to colonial times.
To trace the roots of India's anti-gun legislation we need to step back to the latter half of the 19th century. The British had recently fought off a major Indian rebellion (the mutiny of 1857) and were busy putting in place measures to ensure that the events of 1857 were never repeated. These measures included a major restructuring of administration and the colonial British Indian Army along with improvements in communications and transportation. Meanwhile the Indian masses were systematically being disarmed and the means of local firearm production destroyed, to ensure that they (the Indian masses) would never again have the means to rise in rebellion against their colonial masters. Towards this end the colonial government, under Lord Lytton as Viceroy (1874 -1880), brought into existence the Indian Arms Act, 1878 (11 of 1878); an act which, exempted Europeans and ensured that no Indian could possess a weapon of any description unless the British masters considered him a "loyal" subject of the British Empire.
An example of British thinking in colonial times:
"No kingdom can be secured otherwise than by arming the people. The possession of arms is the distinction between a freeman and a slave. He, who has nothing, and who himself belongs to another, must be defended by him, whose property he is, and needs no arms. But he, who thinks he is his own master, and has what he can call his own, ought to have arms to defend himself, and what he possesses; else he lives precariously, and at discretion." --James Burgh (Political Disquisitions: Or, an Enquiry into Public Errors, Defects, and Abuses) [London, 1774-1775]
And thoughts (on this subject) of the man who wanted to rule the world:
"The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed the subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by so doing. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that the supply of arms to the underdogs is a sine qua non for the overthrow of any sovereignty." -- Adolf Hitler (H.R. Trevor-Roper, Hitler's Table Talks 1941-1944)
The leaders of our freedom struggle recognised this, even Gandhi the foremost practitioner of passive resistance and non-violence had this to say about the British policy of gun-control in India:
"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 (An Autobiography OR The story of my experiments with truth, by M.K. Gandhi, p.238)
India became independent in 1947, but it still took 12 years before this act was finally repealed. In 1959 the British era Indian Arms Act, 1878 (11 of 1878.) was finally consigned to history and a new act, the Arms Act, 1959 was enacted. This was later supplemented by the Arms Rules, 1962.
Unfortunately this new legislation was also formulated based on the Indian Government's innate distrust its own citizens. Though somewhat better than the British act, this legislation gave vast arbitrary powers to the "Licensing Authorities", in effect ensuring that it is often difficult and sometimes impossible for an ordinary law abiding Indian citizen to procure an arms license.
"A system of licensing and registration is the perfect device to deny gun ownership to the bourgeoisie." -- Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
India's domestic policy on small arms and light weapons is regulated under the Arms Act (1959) and Arms Rules (1962). Due to the gravity of the problem of the proliferation of illicit SALW (Small Arms Light Weapons) and their misuse in terrorist activities, India has, since 1987, withdrawn substantially the license issuing powers of State and District authorities - who may not, now, issue licenses for prohibited bore weapons. Since 1987, their powers have been limited to issuing licences for non-prohibited bore weapons and these licenses are valid for a limited geographical area. Licenses for possession of prohibited bore weapons may only be issued, under special conditions, by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. (4)
Licensing Requirements: All firearm owners must be licensed. Applicants must provide information regarding:
The applicant must present photographic identification and pay the prescribed fee for that firearm. (2) Under the existing law, all civilians are required to get their weapon /s inspected once a year by a competent authority - this is also recorded in the licence. (4)
The licensing authority may also refuse the licence for which he will record the reasons. The licensing authority may refuse to grant the licence if the applicant:
The licensing authorities maintain list of firearm owners and the firearms held by them. No centralised database is maintained about firearm ownership and the identification of firearm. Every police station maintains a register of the licence holders in its jurisdiction, with the name of the licensee, description of weapon and its purpose. This list is updated from time to time. The licences are renewed after the prescribed period mentioned in the license or 3 years, whichever is earlier. Any police officer or other officer specially empowered on this behalf by the Central Government can demand the production of licence from the person carrying firearms or ammunition. The licensee is required to inform the licensing authorities of any change of place of residence. (2)
Registration Requirements: All small arms manufactured in India are uniquely marked by stamping to indicate the registration number, manufacturer/factory of origin and the year of manufacture on one or more of the critical components of a small arm - the body, the breech block and the barrel - during the final stages of production. This applies to arms that are produced for private/personal use and those which are used by armed forces, police or paramilitary forces. Allotment of these registration numbers for the armed forces/police and para-military forces is done centrally and a record is maintained of these registration numbers along with the indent. This provides for a double check on the records. A record of each and every weapon manufactured by the factory is kept along with the information on the concerned dealer. Arms which do not bear specified identification marks may not be sold or transferred. Further, any person found in possession of a weapon without identification marks would be presumed to have removed/obliterated the marks unless proven otherwise. (4)
Training Requirements: No training certification is required. However, some state governments do require such a certificate from professional bodies. (2)
Storage Requirements: The firearm must be stored in the safe place described by the owner in his or her licence application. There is no regulation regarding safety in domestic custody by the owner except the initial assurance of availability of safe place to keep arms in his application for grant of licence. (2)
Prohibited Firearms:
Penalties: Penalties for violations of firearm laws include:
For the following infractions, punishment is the payment of a fine in addition to imprisonment for no less than three years and no more than seven years:
Manufacture: India manufactures firearms, component parts and ammunition for domestic civilian markets and not for foreign civilian markets. (2) The manufacture and production of SALW in India is fully controlled by Government of India. Small arms for armed forces/police as well as for civilian use are primarily manufactured by Indian Ordnance Factories controlled by the Ministry of Defence. (4)
The private sector is primarily engaged in the manufacture of single and double-barrel (shot)guns and air rifles/pistols. Even after the liberalisation of the Indian economy and the removal of the licensing regime for major industries, the manufacture of arms like revolvers, pistols and rifled weapons (and their associated ammunition) has not been allowed in the private sector by the Government of India. (4)
The policy for manufacture of arms and ammunition in the private sector is based on the Industry Policy Resolution (1956). Private sector manufacturers of firearms are required by law to get every manufactured firearm stamped to show:
All ordnance factories maintain detailed records of small arms manufactured by them. Private firms and persons authorised to manufacture firearms against licences issued under the Arms Rules of 1962 are required to maintain a Gun Manufacturing Register which records information, including serial numbers and date, month and year of manufacture. They are also required to maintain a Register of Rectification in which the Serial Numbers stamped on guns which are not passed by the Proof House on first submission are to be entered with a cross reference to the Gun Manufacturing Register. A designated Inspecting Officer inspects these registers regularly. A record of arms sold in the civilian market (non-prohibited bore) is also required to be kept by each arms dealer under Section 26 of the Arms Rules (1962) in a Sale and Transfer Register. These records are regularly checked by the concerned state/district authorities. (4)
Import and Export: India imports ammunition, but not firearms or component parts, for its domestic civilian markets. (2) Approximately $21.7 million (US) worth of weapons were imported in 2000. The country's main supplier of legal arms is Russia, followed by Austria, the United Kingdom, Slovakia and Italy. There are also reports of major contracts with Israel and Bulgaria. (5)
Imports are, as a rule, restricted to renowned shooters and rifle clubs for their own use on the recommendation of the concerned Government Department. If an imported firearm kept for sale by a dealer does not bear the manufacturer's name, the concerned importer is required to engrave appropriate identification marks (identifying the importer), as allotted by the Government under these provisions. (4)
India exports firearms, but not component parts or ammunition, to foreign civilian markets. (2) The country further prohibits the export of:
Export of all lethal items as well as other equipment and stores manufactured by Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) and Indian Ordnance Factories is governed by a regime administered by the Ministry of Defence in consultation with the Ministry of External Affairs. DPSUs and ordnance factories may export their items only on receipt of a "No-Objection Certificate" (NOC) from the Department of Defence Production and Supplies, Ministry of Defence. The grant of an NOC is subject, inter alia , to an end-user certificate - on a government-to-government basis - and to conformity with foreign policy objectives - which includes a ban on exports to countries under UN embargo. (4)
Both exports and imports by individuals or commercial entities are permitted only with relevant licences. (4)
That’s why Hindus get beat up by Muslims and the Chinese are working slaves under a dictatorship.
Apparently the freer a country, the more guns the people have.