Database of arms licence holders

New Delhi: Come April 2019, names of all arms licence holders — new and old — will be included in a national database and they will be issued a unique identification number ( UIN), according to the MHA. The move is aimed at keeping a tab on authorised private gun holders.

The Union home ministry has decided to set up a national database of all arms licence holders who will now be issued a unique identification number ( UIN). The new scheme will come into effect from April 1 next year. The proposed initiative will help security agencies monitor those having a valid weapon licence as a number of them have been found to be in criminal activities. There have been cases also of firing from a licensed weapon resulting in death or serious injuries to innocent civilians.

Once the scheme comes into effect all agencies who issue an arms licence or renew it will have to put the information in this national data base for weapons licence which in turn will generate a UIN to be allotted to the licence holder. Any weapon without a valid UIN will be considered illegal starting April, 2019.

Home ministry officials said the decision has been taken under the Arms Act for which necessary amendments have been already been made. Those licencee who posses multiple licences in case of more than one weapon will now have to apply to for a single licence to the concerned authorities before April 1 so that UIN can be issued for all the weapons held by an individual.

In case of a prohibited bore weapon or ammunition the licensing agency will issue a new licence so that a UIN can be generated for the same. Similarly, a separate licence book will be issued to the licencee with the restriction of three weapons under one single UIN.

The move, officials added, will help check the rampant practice of issuing an arms licence to those whose background is bona fide or suspected.