JOIN US With the election code of conduct in place, Police Commissioner B G Jyothiprakash Mirji has issued orders to police stations across the City to collect all licensed firearms from their owners in their jurisdictions and keep them in safe custody.He has set April 20 as the deadline for completing the process.
“We started the process of weapon collection from licensed owners as soon as the election dates were notified by the Election Commission. The weapons will be returned to the owners a week after the election results are declared,” Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Alok Kumar said.
The City police are yet to disclose the number of licensed weapons owners in the City. Last year, there were over 10,000 individuals in possession of weapons.
Individuals who have been awarded arms licences for safety reasons belong to various sections of society — traders, businessmen, doctors, government servants, bank personnel, realtors, advocates and accountants. However, acquiring an arms licence is not easy. For, permits are given to only certain types of handguns, pistols, single or double barrel guns for self-defence.
“The criteria for obtaining an arms licence are rigorous. We are screened for our criminal background and the merit of our complaint of threat to life or property. It is followed by tests and training after which the licence is granted. Hence, we are responsible enough to handle weapons and realise the consequence of misusing them. In my opinion, demanding the surrender of weapons for safe custody is obsolete,” a licensed arms-holder said.
“With or without a gun, I have to transit cash to pay my workers. Private security is very expensive for petty traders like me. We become easy targets of anti-social elements as we are defenceless,” says Govind Das (name changed), a fruit merchant.
Can be waived
However, a police officer said some arms owners were under the misconception that weapons collection was a blanket recovery of arms. The District Magistrate or the Superintendent of Police can waive it if surrendering weapons posed threat to the licence-holder’s life.