A wife used a 6-shot revolver to open fire on a pack of bad guys beating on her husband right outside the gates of their home in Lucknow, India. Watch a video of the encounter, complete with a step-by-step breakdown of the lessons learned, above.
The Attack
The video starts off with the victim opening up his gate and stepping out to talk to a man dressed in black. While the two are talking, two other men wearing bandanas to conceal their faces approach from the victim’s right side and start hitting him. He tries to fight back, but he’s quickly taken to the ground.
Two other men rush in and proceed to punch and kick the victim. Another man then runs over with a stick or baseball bat and starts hitting him.
6-Shot Revolver To The Rescue
That’s when the victim’s wife runs up to the gate and pulls out a 6-shot revolver. As soon as the bad guys catch sight of it, they start to back off. When she fires off a round, most of them bolt. The victim grabs the gun from his wife and threatens another bad guy standing behind the gate; the bad guy runs off, and the victim closes up the gate to the home.
According to India TV, the victim is Abid Ali, a local journalist. It is believed that the bad guys were sent by Ali’s landlord, with whom Ali was allegedly in a dispute over rent. News18 says Ali suffered multiple injuries to his neck, back, head and hands as a result of the attack. Ali’s wife remains unidentified, but news reports say she is a lawyer.
India Gun Laws
Legally obtaining a firearm in India is, to put it mildly, a long and arduous task. Sandhya Ramesh, the senior assistant editor for science at the India publication ThePrint, broke down the process in a thread on her Twitter account. Check it out below:
A thread on how to get a gun in India. (It's not easy).
— Sandhya Ramesh (@sandygrains) February 19, 2018
For a civilian to obtain a firearm, a gun license is mandatory. Minimum age for applying for one is 21. The application form asks details about past criminal behavior. The process to get one can take months, even years. pic.twitter.com/N6jSQUuSqp
— Sandhya Ramesh (@sandygrains) February 19, 2018
Required documentation: last 3 years’ income tax returns, 2 character certificates from eminent members in your locality, proof of education, proof of age, proof of identity, proof of residence, physical fitness certificate, mental health certificate, narc test, 4 photos.
— Sandhya Ramesh (@sandygrains) February 19, 2018
The police performs stringent background checks for 2 months. This includes reviewing the applicant's mental health history, criminal history, interviewing them and their family, interviewing their neighbors re: suspicious and aggressive behavior, domestic violence, and more.
— Sandhya Ramesh (@sandygrains) February 19, 2018
All interviews are recorded and sent to both the Criminal Branch and the National Crime Record Bureau for record keeping purposes. Licensing Authority officials then interview the applicant. All reasons for approval or declining of a license are meticulously documented.
— Sandhya Ramesh (@sandygrains) February 19, 2018
All applicants have to undergo a mandatory arms handling course that covers how to fire a gun correctly, safe handling, safe storage, and safe transportation.
— Sandhya Ramesh (@sandygrains) February 19, 2018
Guns can be issued for three purposes only: self-defence, crop protection, and sport. If you apply for a license for self-defence, you are required to prove imminent/anticipatory threat to your life. Protection from wild animals counts.
— Sandhya Ramesh (@sandygrains) February 19, 2018
Licenses are usually issued by state licensing authorities. National licenses that can be used across the country are rare.
The probability of success for obtaining a license is higher if you are 30 and above.
A license is valid for three years.
— Sandhya Ramesh (@sandygrains) February 19, 2018
Possession of a gun or a license is not guaranteed by the law or the Constitution. Legally held weapons can be confiscated at any time as seen fit.
— Sandhya Ramesh (@sandygrains) February 19, 2018
To purchase a gun with a license, the civilian need to pre-book it with a licensed arms dealer, who in turn procures it from a factory. It can also be purchased from factories in proximity to your residence directly.
— Sandhya Ramesh (@sandygrains) February 19, 2018
Indian Ordnance Factory is the only legal manufacturer of guns. Importing guns is illegal.
— Sandhya Ramesh (@sandygrains) February 19, 2018
Civilians are allowed possession of only Non-Prohibited Bore (NPB) category weapons. This means two things:
— Sandhya Ramesh (@sandygrains) February 19, 2018
1. bolt actions, semi-automatics, barrels shorter than 20 inches are prohibited. In special circumstances, they can be issued (only) by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Central Govt. after receiving a recommendation from the State Home Ministry.
— Sandhya Ramesh (@sandygrains) February 19, 2018
These exceptions are always high ranking government officials and their families, defence personnel, and a select few professional shooters. Collectors are also exempted, but all collectibles are non-functional.
— Sandhya Ramesh (@sandygrains) February 19, 2018
2. Firearms designed to discharge continuously unless finger is lifted off trigger, ie fully automatics, are completely banned. As are guns that can discharge noxious gases.
— Sandhya Ramesh (@sandygrains) February 19, 2018
Air rifles, paintball guns, and blank firing guns are also classified as weapons and require licenses because these can be converted to functioning guns with machinery work.
— Sandhya Ramesh (@sandygrains) February 19, 2018
Tasers firing less than 15 feet require a license as well. But the govt has made obtaining this license much easier for women following the infamous 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape case https://t.co/pqYDAyYYlN
— Sandhya Ramesh (@sandygrains) February 19, 2018
More documentation required for civilian and arms dealer to obtain a gun from a factory: photocopy of gun license, a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the police and the factory owner, transportation license possessed by the factory to transport the gun, residential proof.
— Sandhya Ramesh (@sandygrains) February 19, 2018
This process takes at least a month. And upon procuring a firearm, the civilian is required to produce it for inspection to check compliance and record-keeping in the licensing booklet.
— Sandhya Ramesh (@sandygrains) February 19, 2018
All public spaces including malls, hospitals, movie theatres, and schools of course, are designated gun-free zones. Any property can apply to become a gun-free zone.
— Sandhya Ramesh (@sandygrains) February 19, 2018
Citizens are prohibited from carrying a gun unless it fits in a holster designed for it and sits close to their person. Rucksacks, in case of long rifles.
Brandishing a firearm in public without cause is also prohibited.
— Sandhya Ramesh (@sandygrains) February 19, 2018
Accessories designed to stifle the firing of a gun like silencers and flash-hiders are illegal. Possession and manufacture of replica of firearms also requires a license. pic.twitter.com/SCSTetMNFE
— Sandhya Ramesh (@sandygrains) February 19, 2018







