India: Ultralite .22 Revolver Developed for Self Defense

Two years ago, in 2014, India's Field Gun Factory in Kanpar, introduced the Nirbheek, an 18 ounce .32 caliber Webley clone designed for the defense of women.  At the beginning of this month, on February 2, 2016, Ishapore Arms Factory, a famous Indian weapons factory, introduced an aluminum alloy framed .22 revolver designed for defense, the Nidar.  From indiatimes.com:

Speaking to TOI, officer in-charge of the Ishapore arms factory, P K Aggarwal said, "The .22 caliber Nidar is lightest revolver ever made in India with cheapest price tag of Rs 35,000 only. The revolver is capable of firing eight rounds loaded in a revolving chamber against Nirbheek which has only six rounds capacity."

He said, "Unlike costly titanium alloy used in Nirbheek, for Nidar we developed a total new alloy of aluminum which is called 'DTD5124' and its very light and as supreme metal strength."

Here is a comment by tia amri:

Gun culture is rampant in india and every indian citizen has a right to self defence. This small calibre handgun was long overdue and it must be made easily available specially to women as rapes and molestation is a daily routine in india. The govt. must ensure that licence for the weapon should not be a hurdle. I salute the Ishapore factory for the venture.

Link to video

Both revolvers were named after a young Indian woman who was gang raped and murdered in New Delhi in 2012.

Nidar means "courageous" in english.  It is close to the previous revolver's name Nirbheek, which translates as "fearless". The revolver is only 5.5 inches long, and weighs 8.8 ounces.  It is quite similar to the Smith & Wesson Airlight 317 in .22 long rifle.  The S&W is two ounces heaver, with a barrel about .27 inches longer.  The price for the S&W and the Nidar are comparable, about $500 - $600.

The Nidar gathered 100 orders on the first day, so this revolver may be a commercial success.  From bbc.com:

The manufacturers of Nidar, however, are confident that their product will succeed - Mr Agarwal told the BBC that he expected to sell 10,000 units of the gun this year.

Members of the Indian gun culture applaud the addition of the revolver, but deplore the general state of firearms commerce and the excessive legal constraints in Indian law. From the indiansforguns.com:

The lunching of the new .22 revolver is perhaps the first step in the right direction and we should welcome it. The media should also highlight the right of a citizen as per law of self defence, so that they should know when to use the firearm and for what purpose. Secondly, adequate facilities be made available so that the new license holders can do target practice so that they can effectively use the firearm in an emergency situation. 

We are all aware that there is powerful anti gun lobby, consisting of armchair academics and experts who refuses to see the ground reality.For criminals there is no shortage of firearms neither they have any problem of obtaining gun license or all India movement permit. It is all the problem of the law abiding citizen of this country.Let us hope the situation changes in the near future.

A great advantage of Indian gun law is that self defense with a gun is seen as legitimate, and a valid reason to own a gun.  This is exactly opposite of all the gun laws in the rest of the anglosphere, with the exception of the United States.

This sad state of affairs was directly created by the British Government, which gradually, deliberately, and without due process, eroded and destroyed the right to carry arms for self defense in England. The process has been researched extensively by both Chief Constable Colin Greenwood and Professor Joyce Lee Malcolm.  Professor Malcolm goes into great detail in her scholarly books; Constable Greenwood wrote the first academic paper on the subject in a study from Cambridge University in the 1970's.

Indian courts recognizing the right to self defense have a long way to go; but the outcome may well be less stringent gun control in India.

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
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