High-risk air guns should be banned

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It is true that boys love to flaunt their machismo in the form of dominance and their first love remains guns. But going by the recent case where a Class 9 student allegedly fired at his schoolmate with an air-pistol (0.22 bore), leaving him injured during a clash between two groups in a south Delhi school, these “fun toys” have come under the scanner. This took place in Veer Chandra Garwhal Public School, Saket and the injured boy has been identified as Gaurav Yadav.
The incident has resulted in air pistols being struck off gift-lists, locked up in parents’ cupboards, and kept out of schools. They have earned for themselves, a high-risk label, as many argue they should be banned.
Rani Yadav, a school teacher from Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan points out that the use of air guns is not just dangerous, but also leads to aggression among children. “If I give my child an air pistol at a young age, I can’t blame him for demanding a real one when he grows up. Possessing an air pistol raises a child’s expectations for such weapons,” she says.
And if you ask school students, many of them feel there’s nothing wrong in owning an air pistol. “As long as I know how to use it wisely, why ban it? It’s just a toy,” says 15-year-old Pearl.
many kids think it is cool to flaunt an air pistol and as long as you don’t misuse it, there is no harm in playing with it. “I was the only child in my class who had one but I must say that the key is to know your limits,” says 19-year-old Dheeraj (name changed on request), who was gifted the pistol when he was 13 years old.
However, many parents are now dreading the idea of even keeping one at home. Says Ashwini, a Naval engineer, “Kids can get violent and giving them an air pistol is tempting them to use it to settle scores. Since I’m rarely at home, I’ve asked my wife to keep the air pistol locked up and tell the kids they can’t play with it.”
Others, who were planning to buy one for their kids have decided to avoid it. Ashim, a businessman who has a 14-year-old daughter says that he refused to buy her one, despite protests. “One must ensure that they are not so easily available in the market,” he says.
Clinical Psychologist Dr Aruna Broota adds that youngsters are always trying to imitate adults. “If a child sees his father smoking, he’s sure to try it. Similarly, if a father likes pistols, the child would want to possess one too. The use of air pistols among kids should be made a criminal offence.”
You can get air guns in the market for as less as Rs 250, and shopkeepers charge you Rs 100 extra for (iron) bullets.