The Menace of Aerial Firing

[RescueRanger]

Take a look at this video:

firing ON wedding in gujrat,PAKISTAN - YouTube

A gun is fired in the air during a celebration: New Year, a wedding, a religious festival. This is
known as ‘Aerial Firing’ and is commonplace in many parts of the world ... But what happens
when the bullet falls to the ground?

A lot of people think this is safe practise and some use a mistaken calculation to assume that
the round will only drop at a slow speed and not enough to injure anyone – but they are so
wrong.

The velocity of the round / bullet is not only enough to pierce the skin but to
actually cause lethal harm. Many innocent and happy people suddenly become victims
when these bullets come down and kill someone. It happens all over the world ...

Remember: A bullet fired in the air has to come back down and it may do so fast enough to penetrate a person’s skin and bone with enough force to injure or kill them.

Due to the angle that it is coming back down to earth – it usually lands on their head or shoulders. People mistakenly misquote the science of terminal velocity of a round (roughly 10 m/s or 30 ft / sec) returning to earth after being shot into the air but fail to take into consideration the mass and size as well as the penetrability of the target.

In any case – empirical studies and evidence show that people are still very tragically getting killed by these stray rounds.

Please be considerate and next you are planning to celebrate a wedding, buy some fireworks instead!

 

[Star Wars]

I think Pakistan needs to Ban all kinds of guns from the public ..... Guns are used for one perpous alone...that is to kill, to end the life of another individual . This is really not something which should be available to the public as a collectors item...

 

[RescueRanger]

I think Pakistan needs to Ban all kinds of guns from the public .....

No, just enforce the Arms Ordinance in a better way. Guns don't kill people, people kill people. Besides with the response of the police in some parts of Pakistan, sometimes the only choice you have is to take matters in your hand.

 

[Star Wars]

No, just enforce the Arms Ordinance in a better way. Guns don't kill people, people kill people. Besides with the response of the police in some parts of Pakistan, sometimes the only choice you have is to take matters in your hand.

True that...but something so lethal should not be openly available.. Maybe having a strict background check for gun purchases will help... Since guns are already so widespread..i believe its too late....

 

[RescueRanger]

True that...but something so lethal should not be openly available.. Maybe having a strict background check for gun purchases will help... Since guns are already so widespread..i believe its too late....

Well the process to apply for firearms licence is pretty harsh, the average person cannot obtain a firearms licence and the minimum penalty for a non licensed weapon is 3 years in prison, so there is enforcement and regulation. Here is the process to apply for a firearms licensed.

STATUS:

As of right now, N.P.B licenses are CLOSED but some old applications are being issued.


REQUIREMENTS:

The general and easy procedure to get a license made is go to a firearms dealer with:

a). Copy of your CNIC
b). Two Passport size photographs
c). Filled out form from MOI


COST:

Cost of the licenses vary from city to city with Islamabad being the cheapest. Approximate rates for major cities are:

1). Islamabad = Rs. 13,000
2). Lahore = Rs. 14,000
3). Karachi = Rs. 15,000


TIME:

Time for getting a license varies depending on your dealer's agent but generally it does take about 30 to 40 days. An efficient agent can get one made within two weeks, a less connected agent will take two to three months.


AMMO LIMIT:

The standard ammunition limit on MOI N.B.P licenses is 100 rounds per year. This limit is also the maximum amount of ammo you can legally carry with your weapon. Ammunition limits can also be enhanced with an application to MOI along with reason for request example sport shooting etc. More commonly is it done though dealers who charge about Rs. 2 ruppee per bullet increase. i.e getting it increased to 500 bullets a year will cost you Rs. 1000. I strongly suggest doing so as 100 bullets a year is useless for any enthusiast or sports shooter.


VALIDITY:

MOI licenses are valid for 5 years from date of issue, after 5 years renewal is required which is a simple matter of paying fees for the next 5 years.


LEGAL LIMITATIONS OF A MOI LICENSE:

The MOI license is all Pakistan which means you can transport and use your weapon legally in all provinces of Pakistan. This is unlike provincial licenses which are only valid within the province issued, so as soon as you leave the boundaries of that province the weapon becomes illegal.

All other rights/obligations/status of both kinds of licenses are the same.


144 Status and MOI

MOI licenses get no special treatment during imposition of Section 144. Don't ever carry your weapon on your person during it, it will get confiscated if found. If you need to carry one, then go to your provincial home department and ask them to issue you a 144 permit. If however you are not carrying but rather transporting your weapon (to the range, to another city etc) during 144 then unload your gun and magazines and put them and your ammunition in separate locked bags in your trunk and have your license handy for any checking. There is no ban on transportation of unloaded weapons. Loaded weapons which are ready to fire and carried on the car or on person are problematic during 144.


I GOT MY LICENSE, NOW WHAT ?

When you get your new license you have 30 days from the date of issue to register it in the main branch of your local National Bank of Pakistan branch. For example in Lahore it is the one on Mall Road, next to GPO, in Isb it is in Aabpara.

The bank official will register your license in his computer and file, write the N.B.P registration number on your license and sign and stamp it. This is usually done on the first page of the book. A date stamp is also applied.

Next you have a six months or in rare cases a three month grace period to purchase your weapon. This can be found on page 10 of your MOI book.

When you find and decide on your weapon of choice then simply go to a firearms dealer, present your license and he will make an entry of the gun serial number on it, along with his dealer stamp and date. He will also give you an original sale receipt of the purchase.

Your last step is presenting your license along with original sale receipt to the D.C.O office within 30 days. They will keep the original receipt, make an entry into their computer and return your license stamped saying your weapon has been registered with them. Ideally your license should be returned the same day and cost nothing but in pursuit of 'Chai Pani' your perfectly valid firearms license will get stuck and take forever unless about Rs. 300 to 500 is presented to the lower staff to move things along.


My license says "One N.P.B", What does it mean ?


One N.P.B stands for One Non Prohibited Bore weapon. In a nutshell you can buy any semi automatic pistol or revolver on the market, any pump action or semi automatic 12 Gauge shotgun or a .22 rifle. In some cases like Sindh the Provincial Government there also allows Bolt action rifles in other calibers like 7mm.


MOI License Verification:

Generally with the N.B.P registration and the D.C.O office, you really don't need anything else. Just MAKE SURE YOU DO THESE TWO THINGS YOURSELF. Licenses that come stamped with N.B.P and or D.C.O are suspicious and probably fake.

For the more paranoid, you can call MOI and follow their guidelines.


Recommend Dealers / Agents:

For the time being we are not recommending any dealers or agents. I would suggest checking out our dealer review section for guidance.


How to Transfer A Gun from One License to the Other:

This is a simple procedure. Take both licenses and the firearm to a registered firearms dealer and ask him to transfer the gun from one license to the other. He will do it for you and also give the buyer a sale recipt. Dealers charge around Rs. 1000 for this service. The buyer will have to deposit his license to the D.C.O office like normal for registration of the new weapon. The seller must also keep in mind that if he's buying another weapon on the same day then no procedure is required, if however he buys a weapon at a later date then he will have to ask his dealer to send his license to the D.C.O office for extension, that costs around Rs. 500/1000 and takes a few days. There is no grace period of even a single day.