This article is written to the best of the author’s abilities and is based on a week’s research scrolling through various forums. If you think I’m not correct somewhere, feel free to correct me & reach out here.

Everyone must’ve used guns in video games such as CS:GO, PUBG, Rainbow Six Siege etc. It feels great getting those points and kills for the sake of fun. It gives us a great feeling of achievement getting ahead of someone else by having more score.

We can easily buy or pickup guns in video games. But it is not so easy to get hands on a gun in India. While America has very lenient gun laws, India has very strict laws regarding ammunition and it can take years for the procedure to get completed for you to own a gun here. In America you can just walk into a store and buy a gun as if you are grocery shopping. We should be glad India has strict laws else it would’ve been a bloodbath in schools here as well. So how much do these common video game guns cost in real life and how do you get your hands on them –

1.AK-47

The AK-47 is not for public sale in India. If you want to get hands on an AK-47 to hold it or fire it once, you need to have a very high approach and good relations with someone in politics (Preferably MLA,MP or Above), their security has AK-47s allotted to them and you can ask them for a favour to let you try the gun out once.

RPF (Railway Police Force) has also been allotted AK-47s. They are seen roaming at Railway Stations and you might request them to let you hold the gun once.

India does not manufacture AK-47s in the country itself. If you don’t wanna try but wanna buy, you can try to import an AK-47 from outside the country for around ₹75,000 and with custom duties and taxes it can cost you around ₹1,25,000. You need to have an NRAI (National Rifle Association of India) membership to import ammunition otherwise it’s completely illegal and prohibited. You’ll need a lot of approvals and do a lot of paperwork, and 99% chances are that it’ll not be allowed.

There are many different manufacturers for AK-47 so prices vary. In Pakistan and Africa, fake AK-47 is being sold in black market starting from just ₹8,500 and in USA the range of AK-47 starts from $300. But there’s no way you can import these in India.

2. Desert Eagle

The Desert Eagle, known as one of most deadliest pistols can easily blow someones skull off with a single shot. It is legal in India to own a Desert Eagle .50 AE in India as .50 Action Express falls under NP Bore category. You have to get a Non-Prohibited Bore pistol license first before you can own this marvellous heavy pistol. But you should have a huge budget for the same, because it can cost you somewhere around more than ₹30 Lakhs to own one.

3. Revolver

There are many types of Revolvers which you can own legally in India. Some of them include :-

IOF .22 Revolver

Manufactured by IOF (Indian Ordence Factory), it has capacity of 8 rounds and weighs about 380 grams. It’s estimated cost is about ₹48,000 in India.

IOF .32 Revolver

Manufactured by OFB, it has capacity of 6 rounds and weighs about 700 grams. It’s estimated cost is about ₹79,000 in India.

Nirbheek Revolver

Manufactured by OFB, this revolver is launched as India’s first gun for Women. The gun is named after the 2012 Nirbhaya Delhi Gangrape Case. It’s capacity is 6 rounds and it weighs around 500 grams. It’s cost is about ₹1,22,360.

4. 12 Bore Shotgun (Dunali) and Sporting Rifles

Rifles and Shotguns can cost from anywhere around ₹40,000 to more than ₹2 lakhs. There are different types of Sporting rifles available which include 0.315” Sporting Rifle, 0.22” Sporting Rifle and 30-06 Sporting Rifle which can be directly purchased through licensed arms dealers.

5. Kar98k

Now famous because of PUBG, this powerful bolt-action rifle has the maximum firing range of 4700m. It is legal to own a Kar98k in India and its cost is estimated about ₹2 Lakhs.

There are other types of weapons as well which fall under the category of Non-Prohibited bore and these can be owned by anyone having a firearms license.

There are many common weapons which cannot be bought as they are not legal and used by high position officials such as Police, Army or the military only which include :-

1.P90

This powerful submachine gun is only used by the Special Group, Special Frontier Force and the elite Special Protection Group which also was assigned the security of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Independence day.

2. SCAR

The SCAR is used by Para SF, The Special Protection Group and the Special group. You cannot buy the gun, but you can own it. You must have sufficient threat perception like if you live in areas such as J&K or places full of naxalites or terrorist risky and be able to prove your life in danger. You should have sufficient evidence to prove that you can’t trust the local police to protect you. If you meet the requirements and manage to convince the authorities, then the government can allot you the military grade weapon but it has to be returned when the threat has been reduced. So in short the answer to owning the gun is NO.

3. AUG

The AUG is used only by CRPF, Special Group, Para SF, BSF and Indian Police Units for training. There’s no way you can get hands on one unless you are a member of one of these forces.

4. Five-Seven

The Five-Seven USG is currently authorised only to SPG and many other Indian Military wings and is not available for public sale and use.

5. M16 Rifle

M16 is one of the most lethal and deadly rifles with great range and accuracy. It is used by Para SF and Ghataks.

6. AKM

AKM is the modernised and improved version of AK-47. Indian Army has 5 different variants of AKM for use in training and combat.

Here’s a list of various weapons used by the Indian Army and are unauthorized to buy or sell for the citizens (click the name for more info) :-