Punjab Govt cancels 800 gun licenses, bans glorification of weapons

In a major move against the so-called 'gun culture' in Punjab, the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government today cancelled the licences of 813 guns in the state.

Among the cancelled licences were 87 from Ludhiana Rural, 48 from Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, 10 from Gurdaspur, 84 from Faridkot, 199 from Pathankot, 47 from Hoshiapur, 6 from Kapurthala, 235 from SAS Kasba and 16 from Sangrur. Arms licences of 27 people from Amritsar Commissionerate and 11 from Jalandhar Commissionerate and many other districts were also cancelled.

The Punjab government has cancelled more than 2,000 arms licences so far. Rules for possession of arms must be followed, the state government said, adding that there is now a ban in Punjab on carrying and displaying arms at public events, religious places, wedding ceremonies or any other event. 

There will be a complete ban on glorification of violence and weapons, the Aam Aadmi Party government said, adding that spot checks will be conducted in various areas in the coming days. There are a total of 3,73,053 arms licences in Punjab. The Punjab government says it is constantly taking steps to end the “gun culture”.

Last year's killing of 28-year-old Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala drew attention to the prevalent glorification of guns in Punjabi pop culture, leading to calls for regulation. The popular artist, who had a whopping 8.1 million followers on Instagram, has been accused of promoting gun culture when he is seen posing with guns in videos and photos. In fact, he was prosecuted after pictures of him firing a rifle went viral.