During a three-month scrutiny of existing license holders, the district administration declared 236 arms licences invalid.
As many as 154 licences were no longer valid, while 82 were canceled following an adverse police report.
Ashika Jain, the Deputy Commissioner of Mohali, said there are 7,512 license holders for arms in the district. Applications, addresses, and supporting documentation were verified during scrutiny. A new license will only be issued if an individual has exceptional grounds for keeping arms.”
State guidelines now allow up to two weapons to be registered against an arms license, compared to three previously. Licence holders in the district with three weapons registered against their licence were instructed to cancel one weapon. There is a review of new licences and renewals. An existing holder’s licence is reviewed before renewal if an FIR has been filed against him or he is too old to handle the weapon safely,” a police official said.
In the past year, the district administration issued 18 arms licences on average per month, but that number is now significantly lower.
“Now there are 217 women with arms licences in Mohali,” she said.
The state home department issued instructions regarding the use of weapons and the issuance of licenses in November. Within three months, existing licences must be reviewed. A mandatory quarterly inspection of shops, premises, and stocks of all gun houses across the state was also ordered.
