India produces the shoddiest guns in the world and sells them at ridiculously high rates. This is precisely the reason why no shooter worth his salt is ever seen using an Indian weapon, says skeet shooter Baba PS Sodhi. But then, import of foreign-made weapons was banned in 1986. Today, only national-level shooters who strike a minimum-qualification score are allowed to import weapons duty-free.If the government charged three times the price of the gun as import duty, it would still cost the licence-holder less. Besides, the gun would then be registered with the authorities. As of now, 10 to 25-year-old imported guns are in circulation in the black market. And these are still better than new, frustratingly expensive Indian guns, dealers say. “An Indian gun that costs Rs 60,000 does not even sell for Rs 6,000 in the international market, and its quality is worse than that of a 1960-make imported gun.
I would like to know on what basis import of firearms was banned in India in 1986, on the recomendation of Ministry of Finance of the Union Government of India? Is it not like forcing the consumers to pay heavy premium price for the weapons manufactured by IOF which are known for its cheapest quality in the world? Also, does this ban not interfering the very reason to form Competition Commission of India and mocking the very soul of the idea of Consumer Rights Protection?
How can such a ban by the government of India can be called rightful in the light of the constitution of India?
