Bengaluru, October 01: Threat to life alone will not make you eligible to obtain a licence for firearm if your financial credentials are not foolproof.
Commissioner of Police N.S. Megharikh has rejected around 400 applications from Bengalureans, who have applied for licence and have given ‘threat to life’ as the main reason behind the application, but have not given their proof of income or submitted details of their Income Tax returns. Licenced firearms, which are sold in licenced armories, range between Rs 50,000 and upwards of Rs 5 lakh depending on the type of firearm.
“There is a format for applying for firearms and it is mandatory to mention your Personal Account Number (PAN) and the IT returns for the current financial year along with photocopies of the same in the licence form. There are applications from people, whose income does not exceed Rs 1 lakh per annum and they have applied for licence stating that there is threat to their life. They need to justify their application or their monetary source for buying a licenced weapon and for that they have to submit their proof of income,” said an officer.
He added that only 10 to 15 per cent weapon licence applicants have a genuine requirement of a firearm. “Another 10 to 15 per cent want to possess a firearm to instill fear in others and for 70 per cent of the applicants; a high end firearm is a status statement,” he added. When contacted, Megharikh told this newspaper that he has rejected majority of applications for firearms licence on technical grounds.
“We need proof of income and IT returns. We cannot accept applications on perceived threat to life alone. We need to verify the applicant’s antecedents and his source of income,” said the Police Commissioner, who also has powers of district magistrate and is the licencing authority for firearms.
One can apply for weapon licence by submitting a duly filled form to the Police Commissioner. The applicant should be an IT assessee and have a clean background. He also should give ‘credible’ reasons for applying for licence.
The local police conduct a background check including the applicant’s antecedents, training to handle a firearm, and based on the police report and his discretion the Commissioner approves or rejects his application.
