LICENSING, TRADE, AND ENFORCEMENT: EVALUATING THE LEGAL REGIME GOVERNING THE ARMS AND WEAPON INDUSTRY IN INDIA

India's dedication to striking a balance between public safety, national security, and economic development is reflected in the complex and dynamic regulatory structure that oversees the country's arms and weapons industry. The current framework, which has its roots in colonial-era controls and was substantially altered after independence by the Arms Act of 1959 and the Arms Rules of 2016, has grown to include licensing, trade regulation, and enforcement at the federal and state levels. Nevertheless, the industry still faces difficulties like monopolistic market tactics, the spread of illegal weapons, regulatory oversight gaps, and bureaucratic bottlenecks. In addition to evaluating the constitutional underpinnings, international commitments, and administrative obstacles, this study aims to critically analyses the effectiveness of India's legislative and procedural frameworks controlling the licensing, production, trade, and enforcement of weapons. The study identifies both systemic flaws and positives in the current regulatory framework by using a doctrinal research technique based on secondary sources, such as government reports, statutory texts, court decisions, and international agreements. The results show that even while the legal framework is broad, administrative hold-ups, a lack of technology modernization, and disjointed interagency collaboration cause its enforcement to be uneven. The study comes to the conclusion that in order to improve transparency, encourage indigenization, encourage responsible arms exports, and guarantee strong adherence to international standards, significant reform is necessary. By providing practical legal and policy proposals targeted at improving institutional capacity, expediting licensing procedures, and bolstering India's standing as a safe and responsible participant in the international arms trade, it adds to the conversation on strategic autonomy.