Centuries-old weapons, including rare rifles used in the 1857 rebellion, are gathering dust in private armories | News from India

DEHRADUN: In the heart of Dehradun, Shyam Gun House (formerly known as Himalayan Gun House) houses a treasure trove of antique firearms, including the infamous Enfield rifles, which sparked the 1857 uprising against the rule of the British East India Company. These muzzle-loading weapons along with a plethora of other century-old weapons, largely comprising double-barreled and single-barreled weapons, once entrusted to the custody of these establishments by their original owners , went unclaimed for decades because no one ever came back to collect them. .

According to gun enthusiasts, these firearms, owned mainly by influential figures of the time such as zamindars, legislators and bureaucrats of the erstwhile United Provinces (which encompassed the territories of Uttar Pradesh and the (present-day Uttarakhand in colonial times), were often issued in the names of several family members due to the permissive licensing laws of the time. Over time, regulations tightened and maintaining many weapons became a burden, leading to their deposit in weapons warehouses for future recovery.


However, the planned recovery never materialized and the heirs of the original owners showed little interest in recovering the weapons, likely due to revised provisions of the Arms Act which limited the number of weapons that an individual could possess. Today, the custodians of these unclaimed weapons find themselves mired in a costly and seemingly insurmountable quagmire. Despite persistent appeals to state and central authorities, a tangible solution remains elusive.


Lamenting the plight, Shyam Sunder, owner of Shyam Gun House and president of Dehradun Gun Stores Association, whose establishment alone houses over a hundred muzzle-loading guns that have been filed, said: “The root of the problem lies in the combination of strict licensing laws and a decreasing demand for firearms, which has led to a significant decline in the commercial viability of gun owners armories. Furthermore, the cumbersome arms license transfer process, mired in red tape, prevents the timely disposal of unclaimed weapons.”


Sunder added: “As the years pass, the fate of these centuries-old weapons hangs in the balance. Without proper care and attention, they risk further deterioration, potentially losing their historical value and significance.


This situation is not unique to Dehradun; Gun shop owners in cities across the country, from Rampur and Meerut in Uttar Pradesh to Bhind and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, find themselves grappling with the problem of abandoned firearms, which number in the hundreds.


Rashid Ullah Khan of Defense Firearms Dealers in Rampur narrates the story of a revolver, once belonging to the illustrious nawab family, deposited in 2020. “Despite the absence of legitimate heirs to claim ownership, bureaucratic inertia blocked the transfer process, illustrating the system's inefficiencies affecting gun regulation. The implementation of new arms rules in 2016 and subsequent changes to the law in 2020 aimed to streamline regulatory procedures and require faster approvals within a specified time frame. However, the reality on the ground paints a different picture, with cases languishing in a maze of bureaucratic corridors, moving forward only by offering a 'nazrana',” Khan said.


The repercussions of this administrative quagmire extend beyond Rampur, affecting districts like Bhind in Madhya Pradesh's Chambal division, a region once known for bandits, where the changing socio-political landscape has led to a significant decline in sales of firearms. This forced many establishments to close their doors. In the late 1990s, Bhind had 104 gun shops, but only 14 remain operational today and even these struggle to cover their basic operating costs.


“The demand for firearms has declined as the need for personal protection has decreased. The era of “baghis” (rebels), which required widespread possession of weapons, is long gone. With the departure of the “baghis” from the Chambal region, arms sales fell. In addition, the weapons of license holders killed during clashes or rivalries were handed over to the police, further reducing the number of firearms in circulation. Therefore, only a handful of stores continue to operate in the district,” said Mohd Ismail, owner of Hindustan Arms Store in Bhind.


In the Bharat Gun House in Bhopal, created in 1963, more than a hundred weapons have been lying around since 1972 without any claimant. Owners' apathy toward recovering these firearms reflects systemic apathy toward their disposal, highlighting the urgent need for government intervention. “The armory houses a collection of 70 muzzle-loading rifles, which have not been claimed by their original owners or their descendants. These firearms do not generate any revenue for the establishment, and the situation is further aggravated by the fact that there is no clear policy or procedure for disposing of these weapons,” said Mohd Ibrahim, owner of Bharat Gun House.


Madhya Bharat Bandook Ghar in Indore echoes similar woes, saying “the government should devise a sustainable solution to ease the spatial constraints on gun shop owners”.


It is worth noting that even the election period, which generally proves a boon for gunsmiths, has failed to bring any respite to these establishments. During this period, licensed gun owners are required by the government to surrender their guns to police stations or licensed gun stores. In exchange, these establishments charge maintenance and custody fees until the conclusion of the electoral process, when the owners collect their firearms. However, due to limited storage capacity and no increase in storage limit by the administration, these stores are facing a dry spell.


Acknowledging the merits of the concerns raised by the state's gunsmiths, Dilip Jawalkar, Home Minister, Uttarakhand government, said, “The demands of the gunsmiths are justified. We will definitely look into the matter and details will be requested from districts to assess the actual situation. Following the evaluation, a decision will be taken soon to resolve their grievances.