PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO ARMS ACT 1959

There is a bizarre proposal to amend the Arms Act to limit weapons to one per person.

The Arms Act was the first of the laws passed by the newly formed Indian Union to disadvantage the Kshatriyas who since time immemorial have borne arms only for the sole purpose of defending their citizens. No Kshatriya has ever borne arms for criminal purposes (even post-independence) . The Kshatriya is by nature a law-abiding person.

Following the Arms Act the Kshatriya was deprived of his properties by the imposition of stiff death duties. These very same properties acquired by the government now lie in complete ruin due to lack of maintenance.

Next the Kshatriya was targeted with Land ceiling laws and they had to give up land in excess of 30 acres for distribution to lesser advantaged people. This they did willingly.

The Kshatriya for the last 70 years has been kept out of the ambit of reservations in jobs and two generations have passed and many families are now living in poverty.

The final nail in the coffin is the completely unthought of move to ask the Kshatriya to deposit his weapons. The last vestige of the “dharma” of the Kshatriya is now at stake.

By asking the law-abiding Kshatriya to deposit his/her weapons, you will create a large stockpile of weapons which will then pass into the hands of criminals. It is far easier to monitor the few people that have weapons and allow them unlimited number of weapons, than to impose a one weapon per person law and then try and monitor three times the number of weapons owners.

I would request all Kshatriyas to demand their right to bear unlimited arms as per their centuries old traditions.

KSRathore