Check out this article by a fellow Indian pro-gunner titled “Arms, ammunition and the man”.
Ebenezer Stephen, a journalist by profession, has written pro-gun pieces for other Indian publications as well and is also a member of our pro-gun Group Indians For Guns.
Update: Newstodaynet seems to have removed the archived article from their website.
A matter of pride ::::::::::Owning a gun is also a matter of pride. For some, the gun is a symbol of prestige. Licences for display are also issued. But licencees in this category are not entitled to possess ammunition.
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is this really on that list of reasons to own a gun???
hmmphh!@#$%^&
i think the word “negligence” should replace that with one big question mark!!? and ummm..yeh…maybe we can discuss this further in your next post….hmmm?
wot say ???
😉
fida
Well… you must keep in mind the socio-cultural nuances of the region in question. There are several communities in India for whom their weapons are an object of veneration and worship! These are traditionally warrior communities, who might very well be engaged in civilian professions now BUT for them their roots & culture hold a deep significance and thus the high status and prestige that they associate with the ownership of quality firearms!
Cheers!
Abhijeet
hmm..
i guess in South Africa the prestige and honour that you are talking about would be compared to the….umm…SPEARS (a weapon with a long shaft and a pointed tip, typically of metal, used for thrusting or throwing) , KNOBKERRIES (a short stick with a knobbed head, traditionally used as a weapon by the indigenous peoples of South Africa) and SHIELDS (a broad piece of metal or another suitable material, held by straps or a handle attached on one side, used as a protection against blows or missiles) that were hmm..
i guess in South Africa the prestige and honour that you are talking about would be compared to the….umm…SPEARS (a weapon with a long shaft and a pointed tip, typically of metal, used for thrusting or throwing.) , KNOBKERRIES (a short stick with a knobbed head, traditionally used as a weapon by the indigenous peoples of South Africa.) and SHIELDS (a broad piece of metal or another suitable material, held by straps or a handle attached on one side, used as a protection against blows or missiles.) that are traditional weapons used by the traditional warrior communities called the zulus!!
yes…it was part of their culture and heritage but you dont see anyone walking down the street using them as a means of self defence….and feeling “PROUD” about it! hah!@#
In fact as we know the crimerate in south africa is soaring..and yes, millions of people carry guns!! but i dont think it stems from socio-cultural origins, if compared to a knobkerrie!!!
i beg to differ….that the only stature of a gun is “self defence”…which is far from PRIDE!!
fida. . .
hmm…
i guess in South Africa the prestige and honour that you are talking about would be compared to the….umm…SPEARS (a weapon with a long shaft and a pointed tip, typically of metal, used for thrusting or throwing.) , KNOBKERRIES (a short stick with a knobbed head, traditionally used as a weapon by the indigenous peoples of South Africa.) and SHIELDS (a broad piece of metal or another suitable material, held by straps or a handle attached on one side, used as a protection against blows or missiles.) that are traditional weapons used by the traditional warrior communities called the zulus!!
yes…it was part of their culture and heritage but you dont see anyone walking down the street using them as a means of self defence….and feeling “PROUD” about it! hah!@#
In fact as we know the crimerate in south africa is soaring..and yes, millions of people carry guns!! but i dont think it stems from socio-cultural origins, if compared to a knobkerrie!!!
i beg to differ….that the only stature of a gun is “self defence”…which is far from PRIDE!!
fida. . .
If we going to compare Indian warrior castes/ communities with the Zulus of S. Africa, then it might be pertinent to point out that here that the Indian sub-continent was one of the regions where gun powder was first harnessed to produce weapons and firearms have been used by Indian warriors for centuries – as opposed to Africa where they were unknown till the time that they were introduced by the European settlers! Sure, other weapons like swords & daggers also hold a special significance for such (Indian) communities, as do firearms…
The original comment was about the justification for allowing the possession of firearms for the purpose of “display”. As was clarified in the article, people holding firearms under such licenses are NOT allowed to purchase ammunition, without ammunition a firearm is little more than a beautifully crafted piece of metal and wood! Furthermore you will not see these people walking around on the streets with a gun slung over their shoulder! These weapons are usually brought out for display on special occasions like weddings, certain festivals etc., or maybe (in rarer cases) just hung on the walls of their drawing rooms….
Coming back to the last line of your present comment – the only stature of a gun is “self defenceâ€. Well, I beg to differ (no surprises there)! A person might wish to own a firearm for many different reasons – to train in any one of the shooting sports, for self-defence, for the simple pleasure of owning a lovely piece of machinery, for collecting items of historical significance, for protecting crops from wild animals (in the case of farmers)…. OR maybe without any reason whatsoever the person may just WANT to own a firearm! The question really is, WHY does a responsible law abiding citizen of a free country HAVE to give any justification for wanting to possess a firearm?!
Cheers!
Abhijeet
Hey- dont agree with you on your pro gun policy, and I would elaborate except Im trying to get around to as many Indian bloggers as I can, asking for their help so I’ll stop there- I’m an Australian Indian doing a major work where I need heaps of surveys filled out, which is really hard for me considering I don’t know many Indians living in India. So it would be really awesome if you had the time to visit my online survey and fill it out. Heres the site—
Thanks heaps!
So…..what u are saying is…. banning cars because of road deaths is a not a good idea! hahahaha!@#$%^&*
ok ok …. point taken!
Although….What do you think the answer is to the number of gun-related deaths?
fida…
Spot on!
Crime has always been and continues to be a socio-economic problem. One need just evaluate the crime rate in some countries with high gun ownership rates like New Zealand and Switzerland. When compared with other nations some with stricter gun control like Russia and India for example and others with freer gun ownership laws like the United States, it is an easy conclusion that crime rates seem to be independant of gun control legislation!
In fact if one looks closer at the United States, where different states have different degrees of gun control, the states with higher gun ownership patterns and less restrictive gun ownership laws seem to have a substantially lower crime rate in comparison to states with lower gun ownership and stricter gun control legislation!
Gun control legislation is more about political compulsions and less about actual crime prevention! 😛
Cheers!
Abhijeet