What are the Non-Prohibited bore laws In India?
Non-Prohibited Bore weapons include arms such as handguns of caliber .35, .32, .22, and .380. All civilians can apply for possession of an NPB by following the due procedure under Chapter II and Chapter III of the Arms Act 1959.
Prohibited Bore weapons include pistols(9 mm) and handguns of caliber .38, .455, and caliber .303 rifles. They also include semi-automatic and fully automatic guns. Earlier, usually only defense personnel and family heirlooms could be issued PB category weapons but following the terror attacks of 2008 in Mumbai, the Government had to re-think its gun ownership norms. Now, civilians who are apprehended by “grave and imminent threat” to their lives or who live in terrorist-prone areas, government officials who have made themselves targets in front of terrorists by nature of their job, or MLAs or MPs or citizens associated with anti-terrorist programs or their family numbers. Issuing of the license of PB weapons only applies to a specific species of weapons as notified by the Government in the Official Gazette, other species still remain prohibited to civilians.
Before 1987, the position was such that the license for possession of both of these categories could be granted by any state government personnel or any district magistrate. But after 1987, the granting of licenses for Prohibited Bore became entirely the responsibility of the central government
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