Rules set time limit for grant of arms licence

Tribune News Service

Hisar, July 29

The new arms rules have prescribed a time limit for grant or refusal to the applicant with a multifold increase in the licence fee.

The notification of the Arms Rules, 2016, issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on July 15, has made it tougher for buyers to acquire a firearm. Even buyers will have to get the licence for several light weapons like replicas, blank guns and paintball markers.

The notification, a copy of which is with The Tribune, has prescribed the time limit for the licencing authorities. Now, police verification must be done in 30 days while the grant or refusal of licence has a limit of 60 days. Besides, every arms-related services have been made time bound.

The licence fee too has been increased multi fold as now all firarms, including handguns (revolvers/pistols, rifles and shotguns) would be registered for Rs 1,000 per firearm which would have a renewal fee of Rs 500 each. Even the fee for sword, bayonet, dagger and spear lance has been fixed at Rs 500.

The Arms Rules have mandated it to acquire licence to manufacture and own air guns, air rifles. As per the notification, the new weapons requiring licences are air weapons, including air rifles and air guns having muzzle energy exceeding 20 joules or 15 foot-pound (ftlbs) or bore exceeding 0.177”or 4.5 mm, firearm replicas, electronic disabling devices having firing range of less than 15 feet, paint ball markers or guns, blank firing firearms, Muzzle Loading (ML) Guns, accessories for any firearms designed or adapted to diminish the noise or flash caused by the firing thereof”.

Kuldeep Dhanda, an arms dealer in Hisar, said the new rules were too stringent which would make it difficult to acquire an arms licence.

Gun rights blogger Abhijeet Singh commented: “A cursory reading reveals that replicas, blank guns, paintball markers and pellet guns are all to be now treated the same as firearms – requiring arms licences failing which the penalties would be the same as those for a terrorist/ criminal in possession of an AK 47 (7 to 14 years behind bars).”