KOCHI: A backlog in the collectorate’s arms and explosives licensing wing is leaving shooting sportspersons struggling to obtain or renew licences for their firearms on time.
Some competitors say the delays have affected their participation in events. Members of shooting clubs said some of the recent Keralam contingents that participated in rifle competitions outside the state had to travel without their own licensed weapons and depend on firearms borrowed from fellow competitors.
Repeated delays in processing applications were also discouraging some shooters from participating in competitions, they said.
“Borrowing a rifle from a rival creates a sense of insecurity. It feels as if you are at a disadvantage even before the competition begins. The delays test our patience as we have to follow up with different departments repeatedly. The online portal is also often unavailable, so we have to approach officials multiple times,” said a shooter from Ernakulam.
Obtaining or renewing an arms licence for sporting firearms involves verification by multiple departments. According to shooters, applications submitted to the M-section of the collectorate are forwarded to the forest, revenue and police departments for verification before being processed.
“Each department has its own verification process. In the police department, the application goes through checks at different levels before being returned to the collectorate. Unless applicants follow up at each stage, there is a possibility of applications getting delayed,” said a former member of the Ernakulam District Rifle Association.
Shooters also pointed to the absence of a single-window mechanism as a major difficulty, particularly when verification takes place outside the applicant’s home district. A shooter from Alappuzha said she had to travel to Pathanamthitta as part of the process because the application was being verified at the Ranni forest office.
The licensing process also involves different categories of permits, including taluk, district, state and all-India permissions, depending on the nature of the requirement. Kochi-based rifle sports enthusiast Aashiq (name changed), who went through the delayed licensing process in 2023, said delays continue to affect shooters.
“Some of my friends are struggling with the process now. When you are unable to get your weapon licence in time, it can be demotivating and may eventually affect your interest in the sport,” he said.
Palakkad-based coach Lenu said changes in documentation requirements had also added to the difficulties faced by shooters.
A requirement introduced a few months ago for shooters to submit a training certificate while applying for a licence had complicated the process further, he said. The requirement was later relaxed, with applicants allowed to submit a declaration undertaking to produce the certificate before the authority at a later stage.
Meanwhile, the Kerala State Rifle Association said delays should also be viewed in the context of the time normally required for government procedures and the need for shooters to apply well in advance of competitions.
“It may be that some of the issues are isolated cases. Every process requires its own time, and in some cases, applicants may be submitting their documents late. Shooters should understand that government procedures take time and applications should not be submitted just three or four days before a competition,” said Kerala State Rifle Association secretary James V C.
However, shooters maintained that the issue is not merely about last-minute applications but the time taken at different stages of verification. They said a more steady system and better coordination between the departments could help ensure that sportspersons receive or renew their licences within a predictable time frame, particularly when they are selected for competitions.