PATNA, Jan 16: Bihar residents who possess a firearm licence are requested to turn it in to the local police station or the appropriate authorities if the licence was obtained from another state and verification is still pending. In a circular to this effect, the state home department stated that the verification had to be completed by February 15. The agency has also called for rigorous compliance with a standard operating procedure for verification of arms permits. According to the statement, the action is intended to stop the influx of illicit weapons from Jammu & Kashmir, Nagaland, and other northeastern states. Additionally, the home department has requested that district judges (DMs) firmly uphold the state’s total prohibition against celebratory gunfire.“All DMs must ensure that the verification of weapon licences issued from other states must be completed by February 15 by the firearm owners. According to a letter from the home department, “Firearm owners whose licences have not been verified must deposit their weapons to the nearest police station or the competent authority until the verification is completed by February 15.” It stated that these permits will be deemed unlawful if they are not validated by February 15 and that the owners will face appropriate legal action. The goal of adopting the standard operating procedure is to identify those having illicit guns, said a senior official of the home department on condition of anonymity.580 persons in the state have (arms) licences from Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland, and other northeastern states, according to earlier records. Of them, 288 do not have unique identifying numbers (UINs) and 174 do. The letter stated, “The actual number of such weapons will be much higher, even though 98 arms holders have applied for UIN numbers.” The official stated that any arms licence issued by the relevant authorities must have the UIN written on it by law under the Arms Rules, 2016, and that any permit that does not have UIN is void. “It must be understood that UIN is to be issued to a licensee. He said there are rumours that many Bihari residents are obtaining weapons licences illegally from other states and that some of them are participating in organised crime within the state. In addition, the home department has requested that DMs make sure that the total prohibition against celebratory firing is strictly adhered to. “Celebration gunfire has been observed during weddings and other events, and movies or pictures are created and shared on social media. The law does not allow for this. All DMs are instructed to pursue legal action against offenders in the event of non-compliance,” the letter stated.
