Parliament has passed the bill to amend the Arms Act, 1959 which will bring in effective control over arms and ammunition by introducing new categories of offences which are very important for safety and security of the country. The bill was passed in Lok Sabha on December 9 and by Rajya Sabha on December 10.
Crux of the Matter
The Bill increases the duration of the validity of a firearm license from 3 years to 5 years.
A person can now only hold 2 firearms and will have to deposit the third one with police station concerned or authorised gun dealers.
Heirloom or heritage weapons can be kept if they have been de-activated.
The bill allows members of rifle clubs to use any firearm for target practice instead of the only point 22 bore rifles or air rifles.
The bill now has a provision for life imprisonment for snatching arms from police or other security forces.
The bill also accords a special status to sportspersons who need firearms and ammunition for practice and participating in tournaments.
The central government can now make rules to track firearms and ammunition from manufacturer to purchaser to detect, investigate, and analyse illicit manufacturing and trafficking.
Curiopedia
The Arms Act, 1959 is a legislation of the Parliament of India to consolidate and amend the law relating to arms and ammunition in order to curb illegal weapons and violence stemming from them. It replaced the Indian Arms Act, 1878. The Act has undergone many changes since 1959. There was also controversy around air guns to be included as part of this act which was rejected by the Supreme Court of India during and amendment in 2010. With approximately five civilian firearms per 100 people, India is the 120th most armed country in the world. As of 2016, there are 3,369,444 firearm licenses active in India with 9,700,000 firearms registered to them. More Info
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