Gun violence and illegal arms in India

Munger in Bihar is an example of 'Make in India' but of the illegal kind. The district is a hub of illegal gun manufacturing, with around 300 factories involved in manufacturing and assembling of single shot weapons to even sophisticated AK47s. Here, single-shot 'kattas' can be purchased for Rs 2,000, while a semi-automatic pistol would cost Rs 15,000-20,000 apiece. A carbine is available for Rs 1 lakh and an AK-47 for nearly Rs 2 lakh.

Munger's gun factories are the primary source of illegal weapons across India, particularly north India. Of the 300,000 cases of Arms Act for illegal possession registered in 2010-14, half were in Uttar Pradesh. According to National Crime Records Bureau figures, Uttar Pradesh accounted for 40 per cent, nearly 7,000, of all deaths across the country in gun-related violence from 2010 to 2014 and unlicensed arms accounted for 90 per cent of these. Bihar trailed second with 3,580 murders, of which 3,397 were by unlicensed arms.