Washington Post; you can find the complete
article at:
Guns Are King in Indian State
Viewed as Key to Respect, Firearms Proliferate Among All Castes
By Rama Lakshmi
Uttar Pradesh officials say they receive thousands of applications daily for gun licenses, and at last count 500,000 cases were pending.
As you can see, officials when given discretionary power in issuing firearm permits are the same the world over - they always tend to delay & deny permits to civilians!
"If you have weapons, the crime rate will go down," he said, as he sat next to a heap of freshly harvested corn in his front yard. He said he needs guns to protect his crop from robbers and to chase away thieves trying to steal his tractor.
The above comment by a farmer illustrates that "more guns = less crime" is a logic that any sensible can understand intuitively!
In 2002, according to the National Crime Records Bureau, 24 percent of murders nationwide were committed with guns, compared with 20 percent in 2000. In Uttar Pradesh state, the share of gun murders stood at 54 percent in 2002.
The above clearly illustrates that even government officials accept that legal guns ARE NOT USED IN CRIMES! Then logically why deny licenses?! Go figure!!For people who cannot afford a license or a factory-made gun, cheap country-made guns are an easy option -- and it is these guns that account for the bulk of gun crimes. "The licensed guns are mostly for
display and intimidation. Crimes are not committed by these, as we can easily trace it back to them," said Sagar, Unnao's chief bureaucrat.
Cheers!
Abhijeet
