Bengaluru has 8,300 licensed gun holders

Hameed Ashraf | NT

Bengaluru: According to a report shared by the Bengaluru Police, there are at least 8,300 active gun license holders in the city limits including businessmen, security guards, VIPs and others.

The firearms include double barrel guns, single barrel guns, short guns, pistols and revolvers.

The Arms Act of 1959 allows civilians facing "grave threat" to their lives to get Non-Prohibited Bore (NPB) guns.

The NPB weapons include arms such as handguns of calibre .35, .32, .22 and .380.

These licenses can be issued to anyone of Indian Nationality who can claim a licensee status under self defence, general security, crop protection, or based on any valid reasons.

As per the officials from City Armed Reserve (CAR), the applicant should not have any kind of criminal records.

As the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has come into effect, the Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda has asked the licensed arms holders in the city to deposit their weapons at the respective police stations with immediate effect until the elections get over.

The license holders can visit their jurisdictional police stations and collect their firearms after June 11, the Commissioner added.