How strict are gun laws in India?
Restrictive
Handguns are licensed only at the authorities' discretion, or only to club members or existing owners.
India is one of 87 countries classified “Restrictive” for civilian gun ownership — 43% of the 202 with data. (Also searched as firearm laws.)
Source
- Last checked
- 17 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Read directly from the source’s own table, without interpretation.
Nearby countries
- Nepal
- Restrictive Handguns are licensed only at the authorities' discretion, or only to club members or existing owners.
- Bangladesh
- Restrictive Handguns are limited to one and require justification, fitting the may-issue or restricted discretion category.
- Bhutan
- Restrictive Handguns are licensed only at the authorities' discretion, or only to club members or existing owners.
- Myanmar
- Restrictive Handguns are licensed only at the authorities' discretion, or only to club members or existing owners.
- Pakistan
- Permissive Handguns are licensed as of right, and personal protection is an accepted reason on its own.
- Sri Lanka
- Restrictive Handguns are licensed only at the authorities' discretion, or only to club members or existing owners.
Other laws in India
- Death Penalty
- Retained / in use
- Military Conscription
- No conscription
- Jury Trials
- Not used
Every law in India → · How strict are gun laws around the world? →
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.