Gun Violence

In Nashville, Tennessee (in the United States), a school was the scene of a mass shooting in March 2023 that left 7 people dead as well as It was the 129th large-scale shooting in America in 2023.

Also, the Punjab Government revoked 813 permits for firearms around the state to combat the "gun culture" there.

Argument in Favour to Access to Gun

Guns, according to some, can lower crime rates by increasing the cost of committing a crime. They have emphasised how difficult it is to estimate the number of lives that may have been saved by citizens who owned weapons, let alone the number of crimes that were prevented because the possible victims had firearms.

According to some experts, black Americans' access to firearms and lynching instances are strongly inversely related. According to the research, having access to firearms improved black people's ability to defend themselves against lynchings.

Gun Violence in USA

The rate of gun violence in the US is far higher than that of any other developed nation in the world.

In the US, there were 48,830 gun-related fatalities in 2021. While mass shootings and other gun-related homicides frequently make headlines, more than half of all homicides in 2021 were suicides.

In the US, there have been more than 600 mass shootings over the past three years or over two per day on average. An incident in which four or more persons are hurt or killed is referred to as a mass shooting. This includes shootings that take place in both private and public settings.

Reason for Gun Violence

The US Supreme Court decided in New York State Rifle v. Bruen (2022) that carrying a gun openly is a constitutional right protected by the Second Amendment of the US Constitution.

Federal law forbids certain individuals, such as those with specific criminal histories or mental illnesses, from possessing weapons. However, the system has significant flaws, such as insufficient background checks and an incomplete list of these individuals.

The majority of firearms laws are state-level regulations. Yet, there is a wide range of gun-carrying rules. The majority of states don't require a licence or permit for anyone who is legally allowed to own a gun to carry it openly and in public.

Status of Gun Violence in India

India reportedly has an incredible 70 million civilian gun owners, second only to the US, according to the Small Arms Survey of 2018.

The number seems strange given that there are only 3.4 million gun licences in India, with more than a third of them located in Uttar Pradesh.

About 90% of gun-related homicides in India in 2016 involved the use of illegal firearms, placing the country third overall. This suggests that the confiscation of illegal firearms is only a minor portion of a wider issue.

An estimated 75,000 weapons were confiscated in 2020, with nearly half of them coming from the United Provinces (UP), which is well-known for being the centre of illicit arms production.

With the deaths of kabaddi player Sandeep Nangal Ambian in March 2022 and singer Sidhu Moosewala in May 2022, the Punjab government has come under fire for "worsening" law and order. More than 3.5 lakh licences for arms are in Punjab, according to official data.

The Punjab government issued an order in November 2022 banning the open exhibition of firearms and the performance of songs that celebrate violence.

Various Gun Law in India

Arm act 1959: It seeks to be as thorough as possible to cover every aspect of the purchase, possession, manufacturing, sale, import, export, and transportation of arms and ammunition in India.

The prerequisites for obtaining a gun licence

In India, 21 years of age is the minimum required to obtain a firearms licence.

The candidate must not have been convicted of any violent or immoral offences five years before applying, and they must not be of "unsound mind" or pose a threat to the peace and safety of the public.

A firearms licence cannot be obtained based on a property qualification.

the Home Ministry requests the officer in charge of the closest police station to produce a report regarding the applicant after receiving an application and conducting a thorough investigation within the proper time

2016 Regulations for Arms

The Arms Rules, 1962 were replaced by the new Arms Rules, 2016, which were published by the Centre in 2016. Under the new rules, anyone wishing to join a rifle club, an association, or a firing range was required to complete a safety training programme that covered proper handling and carrying techniques.

Arms Amendment Act 2019

The Arms Act amendment 2019 decreased the number of firearms that an individual could purchase from three to two.

The license's current three-year term has been extended to five years.

To ensure societal harmony, it also includes specific clauses that restrict the use of weapons that have been granted a licence.

When banned ammunition is purchased, obtained, or carried without a licence, the penalty is doubled to a prison sentence of 7 to 14 years and a fine.

It forbids the unlicensed conversion of one kind of firearm to another.

Way Forward

One solution is to enact strong gun laws and severely limit who is allowed to purchase or possess weapons. In this aspect, American laws are both excessively tolerant and careless.

The regulations governing the purchase and possession of firearms need to be reviewed and strengthened in India as well.

Read Also: Arms Trade Treaty