In Bombay (Mumbai) India, Politicians and Film Stars get almost all the gun licenses

The Times of India reports:

Of the 1,393 licences granted, 546 were for pistols and 847 for rifles, said businessman and activist Chetan Kothari, who got the information through the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Renewal of a licence for a year costs Rs 50 for a pistol and Rs 20 for a rifle.

Kothari in his RTI application had requested that the police department furnish details of how many politicians, filmstars, businessmen and builders had got arms licences in the last one year. The department mentioned that 20 builders and 12 businessmen were granted licences last year. However in its break-up on the total number of licences granted in 2007, the police refused to specify how many filmstars and politicians held the right to own a pistol or a rifle. . . . .

That is 32 out of 1,393 licenses went to businessmen or builders (about 2.3 percent). It would be nice to know of the remaining 98 percent how many went to politicians.