Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday urged the Centre not to reduce the number of firearms permissible on a license from three to one in Punjab, in view of the sensitive location and troubled history of the State.

Capt Amarinder has written to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a review of a proposal of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to amend the Arms Act, 1959, thereby restricting the number of fire arms from three to one.

He has, however, made it clear that if some States are keen to reduce the number of weapons than is currently permissible on a license, they may be allowed to do so without prejudice to the other states.

In his letter, the Chief Minister pointed out that he had personally raised the issue with the Prime Minister during the latter’s recent visit to Punjab for the opening of Kartarpur corridor.

Punjab Government was in agreement with most of the proposed amendments but had strong reservations regarding restricting the number of fire arms a licensee can possess — from three to one, he said.

The Chief Minister stressed that Punjab being a border state and having gone through a long period of terrorist violence, a large number of people possess more than one firearm and many farmers who reside away from the villages in their agricultural lands or farms, also possess firearms for crop protection.

“Therefore, it is also significant to note that only a very small fraction of crime is committed using licensed weapons. These facts could be independently ascertained as they are within the domain of the MHA,” said Capt Amarinder.

Capt Amarinder observed that restricting the number of firearms permissible on a license from three to one may not be of much help for control of crimes. On the contrary, a large number of people would be inconvenienced by way of surrender of additional weapons and the farming community would also be deprived of weapons meant for crop protection, he added.