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Is Archery Legal in India? Everything You Need to Know.

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Archery has come a long way, right from the Stone Age era, where it was used for Hunting to today’s generation, mainly in the field of Sports. Crossbows used today are much precisely made, ranging from lightweight plastic fibers to Heavy Steel material. Also, the crossbow used by the Professionals consists of a Holographic sight, a scope, helping them to hit the Targets more accurately. But the question that comes to mind is the fact that whether it is Legal in India or a crime? Let’s glance through different aspects of the topic, to get better knowledge.

Archery Stone Drawing

Everything about its Legality in India

Now the question is if it’s legal in India? As seen above, Archery can be a fatal activity and could also lead to ones giving up their life. So Archery should be banned without even giving it a second thought, right? Well, that’s not the case. Archery is totally legal in India. If it was illegal, we wouldn’t have been getting to order the crossbows on Amazon or other online sites. Also, the Government here would declare it illegal as it’s among the other sports included in the Olympics and other sports events.

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Even though having such fatal consequences, the chances of traumatic injuries are much rare. As technology advances, such modifications are made in the crossbows, making it safer each and every time. But misusing it can be much far from expected outcomes. 

Owning A Crossbow doesn’t require any license. But crossbows are declared as an offensive weapon under the Crimes Act. It means that these Crossbows are meant just for Practicing Archery, and not for any other task which causes harm to Society. If so, Strict actions will be taken against the one. Various Acts have been implemented in order to avoid misuse. Such as Section 4 of the Arms Act, which states the need for a license for having a Crossbow in some notified is as stated by the Government. 

Features of a Professional Crossbow

A Crossbow, as mentioned earlier, is of different types, judging by the material used. Crossbows are either made up of wood, iron, or Steel, depending on the purpose. The ones made up of wood or iron are generally seen used by the Archers who just started getting into Archery as a Beginner. On the other hand, one made up of Steel is much Highly-priced, as it is much stronger and harder than the two and also less brittle than Iron, which makes a significant impact on the trajectory of the arrow. Modern Crossbows are generally seen with an attached scope, zooming the vision for more accuracy. A typical crossbow, used by the Professionals, has a range of approximately 50 yards.

Talking about the arrows, they are much advanced and effective than the ones in the past few decades. Generally made out of Aluminium, these are perfectly designed with considering minimal weight, for them to travel a long path. Variety in the arrows can be seen, based on their size, weight, and the material used.

Archery women Aim

Fatalities through Crossbow

In Archery, the athletes are trained by Professionals. They are given the on-point knowledge on the proper use of a Crossbow, ways to handle it properly, having proper protection to avoid any Hazard, etc. Because the damage gained through it is significantly fatal. There have been many incidents about the Archers who got heavy injuries due to improper handling of the crossbow. It is expected from the Archers not to carry a loaded Crossbow. That can be much fatal, leading to giving up one’s life. There have been many cases where the Hunters, carrying a crossbow with a loaded arrow, falling while walking (death). These were only caused due to the pulling of the trigger by them unknowingly on their move, with the arrow facing towards them. 

But still, some people have a belief that it can only take the life of a person only if it’s way too close to the body, and not if there’s a way the long distance between them. That’s totally misguided knowledge! Arrows, used for hunting, have a special carving of the top point, which is enough to pierce through the flesh and sometimes even penetrate through tissue, which can cause a way serious wound, with no cure. And if unluckily, someone gets shot at a sensitive region of the body (for instance, let’s consider the head), there’s no chance he/she can make it out alive because the piercing of the arrow would be enough to damage their brain, barely leaving them a second to breathe. So, long story short, it can kill a Human.

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In the case of hunting animals, the crossbow can give them an instant death upon hitting them. This is because of the sharpness of the head of the arrow, making its way straight into the body of an animal. Even though it’s completely illegal, many cases can be witnessed from various Parts of the world.

So at last, everyone needs to understand that Archery is completely legal in India. As being one of the important sport of all time, there have been no regulations implemented by the Ministry. One can freely pursue it as a Career. But the thing that one should completely have knowledge about is to know that the Crossbow used in it is needed to be handled with care. And also, misusing it to harm someone in the society or in the wildlife will surely lead to some strict action taken against them.