As gun culture spikes, Punjab Police ask govt to cancel over 7,000 arms licences

Alarmed by the surge in gun culture and deaths caused by celebratory firing at weddings and other functions, the Punjab Police have recommended the cancellation of about 7,000 arms licences to the state government.

Special DGP Arpit Shukla said licence-holders had been found indulging in glorification of weapons on social media, misusing them at weddings or elsewhere through celebratory fire or using the weapon in a crime.

A series of high-profile shootouts, including the killing of Youth Akali Dal leader Vicky Middukhera in Mohali in 2021 and singer and Congress leader Sidhu Moosewala in 2022, put Punjab’s gun culture into the spotlight. Earlier this year, a guest was killed during celebratory firing at the wedding of an NRI in Goraya. Six persons were booked under charges related to culpable homicide and the Arms Act.

Over the last year and a half, the police have conducted a special operation to monitor social media posts that glorified gun culture, whether through pictures of licensed weapons or through songs and couplets. “No celebratory or random firing goes unchecked and after investigation, the licensed arms-holder loses the right to carry a weapon,” said Shukla. In March 2023, the government cancelled 803 licences.

The Special DGP said it was unfortunate that people were following and glorifying songs inspired by gangsters, which showed them brandishing multiple weapons and firing at will.

Punjab has nearly 3.46 lakh arms licence-holders, collectively owning over 4.3 lakh registered weapons. Despite accounting for only about 2 per cent of the country’s population, the state holds close to 10 per cent of the country’s total licensed firearms, making it the highest in terms of licensed firearm-holders relative to population, according to police sources.

Meanwhile, gun house owners in Punjab have complained about loss of business due to the police crackdown. Traders in areas such as Amritsar's Cooper Road reported no new customers with fresh licences for nearly 10 months as of mid-2023, leading some to pivot to selling air rifles. Rohit Bhatia of JR Bhatia Gun House highlighted over 700 pending applications in Amritsar alone and urged authorities to clear the backlog.

Similar issues have been highlighted by gun house owners in Ludhiana, with only half of the 19 stores operational amid declining interest from younger generations, with licensed weapons rarely featuring in crimes (less than 1 per cent) compared to illegal arms.