From April , database for gun licencees

Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 16

Aiming to track all private gun licence holders online, the Centre will launch National Database of Arms Licences system in April next year and provide each licencee a unique identification number (UIN) for renewal and other purposes.

A senior Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) official said the system would keep tabs on licencees, many of whom were often found involved in crimes and celebratory firing leading to loss of life. From April 1, 2019, it will be mandatory for all licensing and renewing authorities to enter data in the new system, which will generate a UIN. Any arms licence without UIN would be considered invalid, the official said, quoting norms from the notification that was issued today.

The decision has been taken by exercising powers under Section 44 of the Arms Act, 1959 (54 of 1959) by amending the Arms Rules, 2016, which would now be called the Arms (Second Amendment) Rules, 2018.

Any existing licencee holding multiple licences under Form III would have to apply for a single licence for all firearms before April 1 under the UIN issued to the person.

The notification mentioned that “in case a person applying for a licence for restricted category of arms or ammunition was also a holder of a licence for permissible category, or where the applicant applying for permissible category of arms or ammunition was also a holder of a licence for restricted category, the licensing authority concerned shall issue a new licence for restricted or permissible category of arms or ammunition under the existing UIN of the licencee.”

Separate licence books will be generated in case of each licence, separately for restricted and permissible categories of arms and ammunition with an overall ceiling of three firearms under a single UIN, it added. Another senior MHA official said these amendments would help the authorities eliminate the possibilities of issuing arms licence to persons “whose antecedents were not bona fide”.