Explained · 29 Sep 2026

Khushboo Patani’s Air Pistol Video — Which Gun, What It Costs, and What It Can Really Do

The CO₂ pistol from the viral women’s-safety video, answered plainly by an Indian airgun manufacturer: the exact model, its price in India, whether you need a licence, and the honest limits of a .177 air pistol for self-defence.

Updated 29 September 2026 · 8 min read · Camstar Sports, Lucknow

What Khushboo Patani said

Khushboo Patani — a former Indian Army officer and the elder sister of actor Disha Patani — posted an Instagram video in the last week of September 2026, after reports of assaults on teenage girls in Jamui and Samastipur (Bihar) and in Delhi. In it she demonstrates a CO₂ air pistol: locking it, removing the magazine, handling it and firing at a target.

Her message, as reported by NDTV, CNBC-TV18, India Today and Hindustan Times, came down to a few points:

• Women should not feel dependent on others for their safety, and can consider an air pistol for self-defence.
• It is not a toy — only a responsible adult should own one, and only for self-defence in a genuine emergency.
• Train first, at a nearby shooting range, including drawing it quickly from a bag or pocket.
• Pick a model whose weight you can handle, and ask the dealer about the calibre.
• Buy from a local dealer rather than online, and expect to pay around ₹60,000–70,000 for the pistol she showed.

Her caption described the post as for educational purposes and self-defence only. The video went viral within a day, and so did the arguments — some airgun sellers and many Reddit users said an air pistol is useless for self-defence; others asked whether owning one is even legal. Both questions have clear answers.

Which air pistol is it? The Umarex Glock 17 Gen 4

The pistol she named is the Umarex Glock 17 Gen 4, an officially licensed replica of the Glock 17 service pistol built by Umarex, a German airgun maker. Key facts:

• Power source: one 12 g CO₂ cylinder, housed in the drop-out magazine.
• Ammunition: 4.5 mm (.177) steel BBs — round balls, not pellets.
• Action: semi-automatic with a blowback slide, so it cycles and kicks like the real pistol.
• Velocity: about 365 fps (manufacturer figure) — roughly 2 joules with a steel BB.
• Origin: imported; sold in India by several airgun dealers.

Because it is a .177 air pistol under 20 joules, it sits outside Indian arms licensing — the same category as every air gun Camstar makes. It is the realism (Glock markings, blowback, weight) that made the video so striking, and also the reason to be careful about where you show it.

Glock 17 Gen 4 air pistol price in India — and the alternatives

We checked Indian retailer listings on 29 September 2026. The Umarex Glock 17 Gen 4 CO₂ BB pistol is listed between ₹55,000 and ₹85,000 depending on the dealer, with stock and delivery times varying because it is imported. Here is how it compares with the no-licence options most Indian buyers actually shortlist:

BB or pellet — does it matter?

Yes. Steel BBs are hard and round, so they bounce off walls, floors and metal — a real risk indoors, including to the shooter. Lead diabolo pellets deform when they hit, ricochet far less and group more accurately. For anything done inside a home, a pellet pistol is the safer choice. See what a pellet gun is for more.

The Indian-made alternative: Star RX Gen 3 at ₹25,500

The Camstar Star RX Gen 3 is the only semi-automatic CO₂ pellet pistol made in India. It is full-metal, shaped like a service pistol, and ships with four 8-shot rotary magazines, two CO₂ cylinders, pellets, a holster and a hard case, with a 12-month warranty serviced from Lucknow. It does not carry Glock branding and has no blowback slide — you are paying less than half the price for the same class of gun, not for a licensed replica. We have a full Star RX Gen 3 review and a price check of every CO₂ pistol sold in India.

Is it legal to own a CO₂ air pistol in India?

Can a CO₂ air pistol actually protect you?

Here is the plain version, from people who make air pistols for a living. A .177 CO₂ pistol produces 2–4 joules. A 9 mm firearm produces around 500. An air pistol pellet will sting badly and can seriously injure an eye, but it will not stop a determined adult who is already on top of you. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling fear.

What it can do, if you have trained with it:

• Deter. Most harassment and street crime is opportunistic. Someone who suddenly sees what looks like a real pistol, held steadily by a person who clearly knows how to handle it, usually backs off. That is the realistic self-defence value — and it depends on the gun being seen, not fired.
• Buy time. A few seconds of hesitation is time to shout, run towards people and call 112.
• Build confidence and skill. Regular practice builds calm, fast, safe handling — the same fundamentals Olympic 10 m pistol shooters train on air pistols.

So the honest answer is: an air pistol can be one layer of a woman’s safety plan, after awareness, avoidance, a charged phone with 112 on speed-dial and a legal pepper spray — never a replacement for them. We have written a full guide to that layered approach: air pistol for women’s safety in India.

Where Khushboo Patani is right

Much of the online reaction has been about proving her wrong. We think she gets the most important things right:

• “It is not a toy.” Correct. A .177 pellet or BB can blind someone. Store it locked, away from children.
• Train at a range first. Correct, and the single most useful piece of advice in the video. An untrained owner is a risk to themselves.
• Choose a weight you can handle. Correct. A heavy full-metal pistol that you cannot hold steady is worse than none.
• Ask about the calibre. Correct — .177 is the no-licence calibre. A .22 air gun needs a licence.
• Only a responsible adult should own one. Correct, and the law agrees: sellers verify age and ID.

Where we would add nuance is the self-defence framing: the pistol is best understood as a deterrent and a training tool, and the realistic look that makes it a deterrent is also what makes displaying it in public legally risky.

Online or local dealer? How to buy an air pistol safely

She advised buying from a local district dealer rather than online. The concern behind that — fakes, unverifiable sellers, no after-sales support — is real. But the shop’s address matters less than what you can verify. Whoever you buy from, insist on:

1. A GST tax invoice in your name.
2. The manufacturer or importer named on the invoice or box.
3. The calibre (.177) and joule rating stated in writing.
4. A written warranty with a real service address, and spare parts availability.
5. ID verification of you, the buyer. A seller who does not ask is cutting corners.

Camstar is the manufacturer — Capital Airgun Manufacturers Pvt Ltd, Lucknow, making airguns since 2010. Every order ships with a GST invoice and a 12-month warranty; you can buy online with partial cash on delivery, or find a Camstar dealer near you if you would rather hold it first.

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This article summarises public news reports of Khushboo Patani’s video; Camstar Sports has no association with her or with Umarex. Prices of third-party products were checked on 29 September 2026 and may change. Nothing here is legal advice. Air guns are not toys — store them locked and away from children.