Bangalore: More than 10,000 arms licences issued

Bangalore: With the city witnessing an increasing rise in incidents of crime, Bangaloreans are now liking Fred Eaglesmith for his hit song, ‘Time to put something... Between me and the sun, When the talking is over, Its time to get a gun.’ Professional and circumstantial reasons have forced many Bangaloreans to turn to the gun and weapon training for self protection. So these days certain celebrities, realtors, businessmen, security personals etc are taking law in their own hands, lawfully though.

According to the City Armed Reserve (CAR) Administration officials, nearly 10-15 people apply for arms license but only 8-10 people get an approval based on their necessity, background, lifestyle and behaviour. Once a person applies for an arms license, it is usually approved within a month if all the documents are in order. As of now, more than 10,000 arms licenses have been issued across the city.

Training period and process: CAR has three training centres in the city, where they conduct classes once in two or three months as they expect nearly 30 to 45 people per batch. Class timings are 6.30 am to 9.30 am and the period is 10 days. During the training period, users are taught about basics of the arm, maintenance and usage during a situation. “Training fees is about Rs 800 for 10 days. Karnataka State Rifle Association also trains people, who apply for an arm license,” said an official.

Dealers: Nearly 15 dealers have been permitted to sell guns, pistols and revolvers. They usually import the weapons from authorised manufacturers. They also sell second hand weapons. They are authorised to sell bullets as mentioned in the license which is usually a minimum of 25 and maximum within 100. A gun or pistol costs between Rs 2,000 to Rs 4 lakh.

Cancellation: If arms are subject to misuse, the license is put under cancellation until the case is solved. After studying the person’s behaviour, officials may or may not approve the license. Sunil Kumar, additional commissioner of law and order said, “We cancel the licenses when they are misused or if we hear about any allegation against the license holders.”