Is My Reading Material Illegal in India?

PortieOwner

Are firearms magazines/digests/books (from the USA) legal in India? I might want to catch up on my reading on the next trip by bringing some along. I never have been able to find a book in India on locally-manufactured guns or ammunition, apparently they can't be published for national security reasons....

Nick-H

Pornography is illegal --- so maybe it depends on how the guns are being modelled .

So long as you feel that you will be able to get on a plane in your own country even thinking about guns, let alone carrying pictures of them, without being carted off to some Eastern European secret destination for, ummm, questioning, you should be fine I would have thought.

That's strictly my opinion --- never thought about the question before.

Tourist's bags are seldom examined on arrival, unless they have reason to be suspicious of you --- will have been x-rayed.

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karthik_mitta

You wouldn't, because there is neither a market for such stuff and guns and firearms are not manufactured in India for general public

Back to your question, no. It is not. I would however recommend checking it in rather than carrying it in your handbag.

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KM

In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds - Martin Luther King Jr.

crvlvr

Magazines and books wouold be completely legit. However, if found in you luggage, you could be questioned under suspicion of terrorism.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_in_India

PeakXV

I wouldn't think twice about it. It fact it might go more unnoticed/ be more accepted than a Pak Political journal or Musharraf biography these days.

Come to think of it, I think I've even scarfed an "Outdoor Life" mag. or two from my flight for further readings .... which can include several reviews and/or field testing of rifles/shotguns/handguns.

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Don't go to India ~ Pre-trip Warnings & Misconceptions?

PortieOwner

Thanks for the assurances everyone. BTW India does make some firearms and ammo for civilians, I have bought both 9mm and 7.62 NATO that was Indian Army surplus (mostly as a collectible, not to shoot). The 7.62 Indian stuff has a bad reputation in the US. There have been many surplus Enfield rifles from India imported to the US in the past 10 years or so and both the pre- and post-Independence Enfields are considered a good collectible rifle.

At one time the Ordnance Board Factory web site listed several sporting arms made for civilians including hunting rifles, .22s and a couple of types of handguns. I have never seen them for sale in the US. Guns are legal in India for personal ownership with a license and there are gun stores in Delhi.

The Indian foresty police carry a very nice looking rifle that would probably sell well to civilians if they exported it.

invidious

There is apparently a street in Peshawar, Pakistan where they sell Kalashnikovs for Rs. 200.

PeakXV

Yup ... Ishapur looks like it's still in operation. A friend of mine had an old assault rifle from that factory ..... before the Canadian gun laws changed.

Shark

The Australian government just arrested an Indian doctor on a work visa in our country for giving his cousin a sim card for his phone that had some credit on it because he was leaving the country to move to Australia and the sim card was useless to him here. His cousin has since been arrested in England on terrorism charges and guess what? The Australian government deems that he has recklessly provided support to terrorists. I feel ashamed of my government at the moment unless they have some definitive evidence against this guy. So if you believe carrying gun magazines in India is quite innocent, I would think again and read something else.
Talk about a paranoid world we live in today. Our government deserves the boot over this. Mind you the opposition also support the government's position. They need the boot as well. It seems anarchy reigns!!

himmat01

The Indian doctor was aware about the activities of his cousins but did not inform the law enforcement agencies.

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federica

I bought a very good book about Pakistan in a bookshop in India, it is totally neutral and even published by Penguin Books in India. So I doubt you are right in this regard. India is quite open with freedom of the press/books when it comes to political issues.

lucyl

I would suggest taking up a hobby that doesnt involve killing things or the desire to do so.

ba9rn

I am surprised you talk like this, after events such as that in Bali caused so much trauma to your country.

There was more to it than a simple SIM card transaction, as you will no doubt find when this goes to trial.

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Nick-H

Lucyl, in fareness, it has to be commented that there are many, many sportsmen that fire guns without ever killing anything.

PeakXV

.... and there are many collector's/connoisseur's of firearms who have never fired so much as a shot out of any of their prized collection.

Jim Corbett's true tales have a goldmine of information on ballistics, characteristics, & field testing of the double rifle's prowess .... and I don't believe they would ever raise an eyebrow from Indian customs/immigration authorities.

Soldier of Indian Fortune, or Al Qaeda Fiream of the Month Journal might be pushing it a bit though.