Crackdown on gun culture: Punjab freezes new arms licences after ED red flags

The Punjab government Wednesday instructed all law enforcement authorities in the state not to issue any new arms licences amid concerns over alleged irregularities. Government sources revealed that Chief Secretary K A P Sinha issued oral directions to all deputy commissioners during a phone conference call.

“The orders have been issued on the apprehension that some ‘considerations’ have played a role in issuing arms licences to many individuals across the state,” an official said. Two senior government officials confirmed the development to The Indian Express on condition of anonymity.

They added that renewal of arms licences was taking place as usual, but new licences have been put on hold. Chief Secretary KAP Sinha did not respond to calls or text messages seeking a comment. The state's move follows a July letter from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to the police chief highlighting anomalies.

The agency cited an example where an alleged middleman approached an SSP in a district to expedite a person's arms licence application. Despite accounting for just 2 per cent of India’s population, Punjab holds nearly 10 per cent of the licensed civilian firearms.

Recent government and police figures estimate there are approximately 3.46 lakh active licence holders in the state, collectively possessing over 4.3 lakh registered weapons. Under existing rules, arms licences are granted by district magistrates only after mandatory police background checks, specific threat assessments, and a mandatory dope test introduced in 2018.

A general sense of insecurity is legally insufficient to obtain a licence. One licence can cover more than one weapon in certain categories; typically two, or three for recognised sport shooters. Sport shooters require club membership and competition records.

Inheritance cases undergo fresh verification. Right to Information (RTI) data reveals that out of 3.65 lakh applicants subjected to dope tests since 2018, 55,318 tested positive, with Amritsar district recording the highest number of failures.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government previously cancelled over 800 licences in March 2023 following a crackdown on gun culture, including 235 in Mohali and 199 in Pathankot. All 27 licences revoked in Amritsar at the time involved people with criminal backgrounds.

The Punjab Police recently recommended the cancellation of nearly 7,000 more licences following an 18-month monitoring operation targeting the display of weapons on social media, celebratory firing, and criminal involvement.

Despite the high density of firearms, driven historically by militancy-era security needs and cultural factors, official data indicates that licensed weapons feature in less than 1 per cent of reported crimes in the state, with illegal arms accounting for the vast majority of gun violence.

During elections, district magistrates routinely order licensed weapons to be deposited at police stations or authorised gun houses.