Women should not have to think about carrying a gun to feel safe. A call by Major Khushboo Patani (retired) for women to carry CO2 air pistols has sparked a debate. Her message comes amid a string of cases of harassment and sexual violence. However, experts called her out over poor trigger discipline.
The world is a tough and unfair place. And for women, even a routine journey home, an evening out, or a walk through a public space can come with a calculation that should not have to be made. That debate has now taken an unusual turn, about whether women should carry air guns for their safety. Indian Army Major Khushboo Patani (retired), the elder sister of actor Disha Patani, has sparked a debate after sharing a video in which she encouraged women to consider carrying a CO2-powered air pistol for self-defence.
In a video on social media, Major Khushboo Patani (Retd) brandished a Glock replica, with a rather poor trigger discipline. Patani’s basic instinct is right. Women shouldn’t have to depend on a failed system and men for their safety.
But the suggestion has drawn criticism from military veterans, defence experts, and others who argue that putting a gun-shaped weapon in the hands of an untrained civilian could create risks of its own.
When everyday safety feels unreliable, people look for practical ways to protect themselves. Patani suggesting women carry guns for their safety is, in itself, a grim reflection of how unsafe the world is for women. The law has failed to deter men. Authorities have failed to protect women from violence. And the burden of staying safe has fallen on women themselves.
But carrying a gun to defend oneself from sexual violence is a very different proposition.
Khushboo Patani demonstrated a .177 calibre CO2-powered air pistol and encouraged women to learn how to use one for self-defence. Patani explained that the weapon uses CO2 to fire pellets rather than conventional ammunition and urged women to train at a shooting range. She also said women could buy such a pistol, keep it with them and not depend on others for their safety.
The video was posted in the aftermath of the recent harassment of two minors in Bihar’s Jamui district, and the gang-rape of a minor in Delhi’s Aastha Kunj Park near Nehru Place.
The message Patani wanted to convey was that women should take charge of their safety. But the idea that an air pistol is an appropriate civilian self-defence tool is a rather bad one, say experts.
Guns, much like bad men, have a way of turning a safety problem into a bigger one.
A GUN IS NOT A SAFETY PLAN, SAY EXPERTS
The first problem is that the weapon demonstrated in the video is still a projectile weapon. Calling it an air pistol or pointing out that it does not fire conventional ammunition does not make it a toy.
Air guns can cause serious harm, not just to the person they might be used on, but even to the person handling them. Arms etiquette takes years to learn, while the restraint required not to draw a weapon in a situation comes from judgment developed through years of proper training and counselling.
Sonakshi Verma (name changed), a Noida-based media professional, carries an air pistol in her car, saying it gives her a sense of security when travelling alone, particularly late at night. “It makes me feel safer. You feel less vulnerable when you know you have something with you to defend yourself if the situation ever demands it…”
Verma said her male friends have been extremely supportive of her decision. She has target-practised with them, including shooting at beer bottles, but has received no formal training.
“I have never displayed it in public because I don’t want to land myself in a bigger problem or escalate a situation unnecessarily. But if someone actually attacks me, I don’t think I would hesitate to use it,” she said. “I have a short temper and can get aggressive when I feel cornered or see something unfair happening, so knowing that I have something to protect myself with makes me feel less vulnerable.”
That sense of security, however, can create a false sense of preparedness, particularly when someone has not received formal training in handling a weapon.
Perhaps this is why the culture of pulling out a gun in response to relatively minor confrontations has become a recurring thing in countries such as the US, where people have lost their lives over disputes that did not warrant the use of a firearm.
Air guns are not the same as conventional firearms, but a projectile fired from close range can still cause serious, potentially fatal injuries.
DO YOU NEED LICENCE FOR AIR GUNS?
India’s Arms Rules, 2016 draw a clear distinction between air weapons depending on their specifications.
Air guns with muzzle energy exceeding 20 joules (15 ft-lbs) and/or a bore exceeding 0.177 inch (4.5 mm) are subject to licencing requirements. Even air weapons below those thresholds are not outside all regulations. Their sale or transfer has to take place through authorised arms and ammunition dealers or licenced air-weapon dealers, with identification and residence details recorded.
That matters because the impression that an air pistol can be bought and carried without any legal considerations is misleading.
EXPERTS QUESTION KHUSHBOO PATANI’S TRIGGER DISCIPLINE
Wing Commander Pushkal Vijay Dwivedi (Retd), commenting on Patani’s video, criticised the recommendation as “an invitation to catastrophe”. He said, “Recommending a .177 CO2 Glock replica as a self-defence weapon for civilian women is not simply bad advice — it is an invitation to catastrophe.”
He also raised concerns about muzzle and trigger discipline, saying the demonstration compromised basic firearm-safety principles.
Wing Commander Dwivedi (Retd) also questioned the operational usefulness of a .177 CO2-powered replica in a real-life confrontation, arguing that a pellet or BB might cause pain but is unlikely to reliably incapacitate an attacker. He warned that relying on pain to stop someone who is highly aggressive, under the influence of drugs or fuelled by adrenaline could prove ineffective and may even escalate the situation.
Major Manik M Jolly (Retd), was more direct in his scrutiny. “Don’t,” he wrote while addressing women considering the advice to carry the air pistol. He said they would be “much MUCH safer with a pepper spray”.
Senior journalist and defence expert Sandeep Unnithan also reacted to the video with three words — “Poor trigger discipline.”
The criticism is not about whether an air pistol can injure someone. A firearm can create a false sense of security. But that feeling can be dangerous when combined with fear, anger, panic or inadequate training. Someone carrying a weapon might believe they have gained control over a situation when, in reality, they might have introduced another variable that can escalate it.
That is precisely why firearms training begins with safety, restraint and an understanding of when not to use a weapon.
Promotion of weapons for self-defence, particularly on social media, cannot be treated like promotion of a fitness product. The person demonstrating the weapon might be experienced, but the millions watching are most likely not.
THE CONTEXT BEHIND KHUSHBOO PATANI’S VIDEO MATTERS
But one must remember the whole point why this conversation even began, and the backdrop against which Patani’s video came in the first place.
It’s been around 10 days since a Class 10 girl and a male friend were stopped and harassed by a group in Bihar’s Jamui district. The girl was molested while the boy was assaulted. Videos of the incident circulated online.
Days later, in Delhi, a 17-year-old girl was gang-raped inside Aastha Kunj Park near Kalkaji by three men who, according to police, posed as policemen.
The Delhi case is particularly troubling because the issue was not simply the behaviour. At times, it feels as though the entire system is stacked against women. Questions were raised about the environment in which the crime occurred. Aastha Kunj Park is in South Delhi, which is a posh area. But the park had no CCTV cameras at its entry and exit gates, parts of its boundary wall had collapsed, some gates were unmanned, and several portions were poorly lit after dark.
