2601:985:3:F520:E04B:4F9B:C95E:E5DA at 14:04, 9 June 2021

2021-06-09T14:04:37Z

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{{short description|Overview of the gun law in India}}
'''Indian law''' allows '''firearm possession''' on may-issue basis. With approximately five civilian firearms per 100 people, India is the [[Estimated number of civilian guns per capita by country|120th most armed country]] in the world.

== History ==
Prior to the Indian First War Of Independence in 1857, there were few gun control laws in India.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://legalref.knoji.com/gun-control-and-indian-arms-act-1877-during-the-days-of-the-raj/|title=Gun Control and Indian Arms Act 1877 During the Days of the Raj|website=Knoji}}</ref> The [[Indian Arms Act, 1878]] regulated the manufacture, sale, possession, and carriage of [[firearms]]. The act included the mandatory licensing to carry a weapon, but contained exclusions for some groups and persons, for instance "all persons of [[Kodava people|Kodava]] ([[Coorg]]) race".<ref name="(India)Rattigan1897">{{cite book|author1=Punjab (India)|author2=Sir Henry Adolphus Byden Rattigan|author3=Alweyne Turner|author4=North-west Frontier Province (India)|title=The Bengal regulations: the acts of the governor-general in council, and the frontier regulations ... applicable to the Punjab, with notes and an index|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gQobAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA1189|accessdate=22 July 2011|year=1897|publisher=Civil and Military Gazette Press|pages=1189–}}</ref>

In 1959 the Arms Act was passed with new strict rules. It has been amended many times since, most recently in 2016.

== Current law ==
{{Main|Arms Act, 1959}}
Indian law divides firearm licenses into two types:
* Prohibited Bore (PB) includes fully automatic, semi-automatic firearms and some other specified types can only be issued by central government for some groups of people;
* Non-Prohibited Bore (NBP) includes remaining types of firearms and may be issued by central and state governments for ordinary citizens.

=== Non-Prohibited Bore Licenses ===
Law states that license can be issued for anyone who has good reason without stipulating what constitutes a good reason. Typically applicants wanting license for self-defense purposes need to prove danger to their life. Article 14. states that authorities can deny license for unspecified "public peace or for public safety" reasons. They are not obligated to give reason for refusal of application if they deem it to be necessary. Firearm licenses must be renewed every three years. Approximately 50% of the applications are accepted. For example, of the 12.8 million inhabitants, between April 2015 and March 2016 authorities in Mumbai rejected 169 out of 342 firearm applications.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/gun-culture-spreads-in-dombivli-legal-arms-used-to-settle-scores/articleshow/59117127.cms|title=Gun culture spreads in Dombivli: Legal arms used to settle scores |date=June 12, 2017|first1=Pradeep |last1=Gupta |first2=V|last2=Naryan}}</ref>

Some local jurisdictions may have additional requirements for granting licenses. For example in 2019 the commissioner of [[Firozpur district]] in Punjab ordered that every license applicant must plant at least 10 trees and take photos with them.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-49149431|title=Punjab: India state launches 'gun for plants' scheme|date=July 29, 2019|publisher=BBC}}</ref>

=== Carrying firearms ===
Open carry of firearms is prohibited. All firearms must be carried in specially designed holsters.

== Firearm possession ==
As of 2016 there are 3,369,444 firearm licenses active in India with 9,700,000 firearms registered to them. According to ''Small Arms Survey'' there are 61,401,000 illegal firearms in India.

The following is a breakdown of firearm licenses by state:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-has-33-69-lakh-gun-licences-uttar-pradesh-tops-list-with-12-77-lakh/story-uRQ9XGCy9wpczOiEMcFmAN.html|title=India has 33.69 lakh gun licences, Uttar Pradesh tops list with 12.77 lakh|date=October 3, 2017|publisher=HindustanTimes}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
|-
! style="width:120px;"| '''State''' !! '''Active firearm licenses'''
|-
|[[Uttar Pradesh]]
|1,277,914
|-
|[[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]]
|369,191
|-
|[[Punjab]]
|359,249
|-
|[[Madhya Pradesh]]
|247,130
|-
|[[Haryana]]
|141,926
|-
|[[Rajasthan]]
|133,968
|-
|[[Karnataka]]
|113,631
|-
|[[Maharashtra]]
|84,050
|-
|[[Bihar]]
|82,585
|-
|[[Himachal Pradesh]]
|77,069
|-
|[[Uttarakhand]]
|64,770
|-
|[[Gujarat]]
|60,784
|-
|[[West Bengal]]
|60,525
|-
|[[Delhi]]
|38,754
|-
|[[Nagaland]]
|36,606
|-
|[[Arunachal Pradesh]]
|34,394
|-
|[[Manipur]]
|26,836
|-
|[[Tamil Nadu]]
|22,532
|-
|[[Odisha]]
|20,588
|-
|[[Assam]]
|19,283
|-
|[[Meghalaya]]
|18,688
|-
|[[Jharkhand]]
|17,654
|-
|[[Mizoram]]
|15,895
|-
|[[Kerala]]
|9,459
|-
|[[Daman and Diu]]
|125
|-
|[[Nagar Haveli]]
|125
|-
|}

== Gun crime==
{{thumb|content=
{{Graph:Chart
| width=250 | height=150
| xAxisTitle=Year
| yAxisTitle=Homicides
| legend=Gun homicides
| type=stackedrect
| x=2011,2012,2013,2014,2015
| y2=404,323,324,540,356
| y1=2964,3458,3297,3115,3366
| y2Title=Using legal guns
| y1Title=Using illegal guns
| colors=#800000aa,#80ff8000
}}|caption=Gun homicides in India by legal and illegal guns}}
There are around 0.3 gun homicides per 100,000 people in India every year. Around 90% of them are committed using illegal guns.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ncrb.gov.in/StatPublications/CII/CII2015/FILES/Compendium-15.11.16.pdf|page=65|title=Crime in India. 2015}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Overview of gun laws by nation]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Cite news|url=https://indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/10495/1/arms_and_ammunition_act_1959.pdf|title=Arms Act, 1959|date=December 23, 1959}}

{{Gun laws by country}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gun law in India}}
[[Category:Firearm laws]]
[[Category:Law in India]]

Gun law in India - Revision history

2601:985:3:F520:E04B:4F9B:C95E:E5DA at 14:04, 9 June 2021