MHA amends Arms Rules, permits manufacturers to enhance production of firearms

By Rajnish Singh
New Delhi [India], January 21 : Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the new amended Arms Rules have allowed the manufacturers to enhance their annual production of "firearms or ammunition or calibre wise revision" of its licensed capacity by giving intimation to the licensing authority and also to the state government concerned within ninety days from the end of the financial year.
As per the new rules, called the Arms (Amendment) Rules, 2022, which the MHA notified on Thursday, "no further endorsement on the licence as to capacity shall be required".
Rule 60 A (Capacity revision for new manufacturers issued a licence in Form VII) of the amended Arms rules, mentions "the new manufacturer who has been issued a licence in Form VII under these rules may apply for enhancement or restoration or re-fixation or calibre wise revision of his licensed capacity and the provisions of rule 60 shall apply mutatis mutandis to such manufacturers".
Rule 60B (Enhanced annual production) of the rule later reads "the manufacturer who has been issued a licence in Form VII under these rules shall be permitted to have enhanced annual production of firearms or ammunition or calibre wise revision of his licensed capacity by giving intimation to the licensing authority and also to the State Government concerned within ninety days from the end of the financial year and for which no further endorsement on the licence as to capacity shall be required".
However, it is also directed that the manufacturers shall establish online electronic connectivity under his user id with the NDAL-ALIS system of the Central government in the MHA and provide for a monthly electronic online transfer of data regarding firearms manufactured and sold or transferred and ammunition manufactured and sold or transferred or consumed for the month, as recorded in the registers.
"If any circumstances occur which prevent a licensee to submit online returns on NDAL-ALIS system referred, the local licensing authority shall be informed immediately in order to establish alternative means to submit the monthly returns," the new Arms rules states, adding "monthly returns for the current month shall be submitted by the close of business hours of the last day of the month."
In exercise of the powers conferred by section 44 of the Arms Act, 1959 (54 of 1959), the MHA made the following rules Arms (Amendment) Rules, 2022 further to amend the Arms Rules, 2016. As per the MHA notification, the rules come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
The principal rules were published in the Gazette of India dated July 15, 2016, and the last amendment was done on October 9, 2020.