Gun Laws in other (select) countries

[smle-man]

I believe the UK does not restrict magazine capacity. But they HATE semi-auto weapons and handguns and will restrict the hell out of them. I read one story about an elderly UK widower who was found to have her deceased husband's WW2 Luger pistol he brought back from the war (no ammo), and they confiscated it and sentenced her to 30 years or so.
The UK is like the role model for a Police State among Commonwealth/Western nations, so sad.

Handguns in the UK are possible: briefly, handguns made pre-1917 are legal with a license as are certain handguns with a barrel length of 14" or longer. 'Normal' handguns are legally obtainable on permit in Northern Ireland.

This is a gross simplification of handgun laws in the UK, the reality is quite detailed.

[Cali-Shooter]

Handguns in the UK are possible: briefly, handguns made pre-1917 are legal with a license as are certain handguns with a barrel length of 14" or longer. 'Normal' handguns are legally obtainable on permit in Northern Ireland.

This is a gross simplification of handgun laws in the UK, the reality is quite detailed.

What are the legal ramifications of owning an unlicensed handgun? Because that story about that widower was of one that wasn't.

Also, these are what the UK has to do to get around anti-Handgun laws:



They have to turn all handguns into "carbines" with use of a balance rod and longer barrels.

I stand behind the fact that UK is highly restrictive of semi-automatic firearms however (only exception being rimfire and shotguns):



One plus side I heard is that silencers/suppressors are not nearly as vilified or restrictive to obtain in the UK than in the US.

[Bobby Ricigliano]

Handguns in the UK are possible: briefly, handguns made pre-1917 are legal with a license as are certain handguns with a barrel length of 14" or longer. 'Normal' handguns are legally obtainable on permit in Northern Ireland.

This is a gross simplification of handgun laws in the UK, the reality is quite detailed.

It sounds harsh, but at least it has resulted in a completely safe, violence-free community, right? And I assume the criminals observe these regulations as well.

[I Swan]

Yes, but Serbia and the Czech republic don't meet any other of my requirements for living there. The countries I listed in the original post is the short list. Gun ownership is the last variable that I'm considering.



Runaway insanity.

You would think that judges have some level of common sense and discretion, but they certainly don't seem to.

I think you misunderstood my post. Switzerland did/does allow legal residents to own firearms but has a short list of countries that their citizens are not allowed to I remember one being Serbia. I believe becoming a Swiss citizen requires proving you have a quite substantial income.

Gunboards has a fair amount of foreign members I'm sure the South American ones can fill you in on some of the laws. I think Brasil and maybe Uruguay restricts handgun calibers to 32 and below

[trigger945]

This is a good thread. Thanks to the OP for starting this.

At the very least, it makes me appreciate even more what "freedom" I currently experience. It gives me some perspective...

[Bobby Ricigliano]

Having been to S. Korea twice and seen the N. Korean side from the DMZ, I have long been fascinated with N. Korea. While the economy and living conditions are atrocious, I was struck by a comment made by a citizen during one of the documentaries. She said there is no crime. Ever. Any time day or night, anyone can go about their business without fear of being robbed or accosted.

I guess there is some slight silver lining there, right?

I have also spent time in Thailand and chatted with some of the police. Once I identified myself as LE, they were very cool and open about the law there. While far from crime free, they don't deal with too much theft or robberies. The jail conditions are deliberately terrible and the sentences are long. This information is widely known and an effective deterrent against crime.

Of course, tourists who are caught trying to smuggle narcotics find this out the hard way and are blindsided by their lack of rights once incarcerated.
I don't have any idea what the gun laws are there, but the cops I saw were carrying vintage S&W revolvers in old school leather gear. They wore mirrored sunglasses and just looked like the types you don't mess with.

[Aloha]

Thailand

Yes, you can own a gun, but it is not an easy process or cheap.

you must have a long term visa, work permit, house registration, ID, get fingerprinted, fill out a stack of forms, and provide a bank statement.

On top of all this, you application can be stalled or denied for a long list of listed and non-listed reasons.

Brown envelopes are the grease that makes things much easier, but still include all the above.

If you have a Thai wife, she can buy a gun much easier, but you, or anyone else, cannot use it or possess it.

Ammo can only be owned for the caliber of weapon you are licensed to possess.

If you made it that far, then the sticker shock on a gun might be the last straw. A Glock that costs $500 in the US will cost between $1500-$2000 in Thailand. Ammo...up to $1 per round depending on whether or not you want some really questionable and ancient looking stuff.

Even if you jump through all the hoops, they can take everything away anytime they want. Foreigners have very little rights (realistically speaking, none).

All that said, it seems like a lot of Thai's own guns, secretly. Many more own homemade zip guns, pipe guns, etc. Scary.

Cambodia used to be like the wild west. Not to sure what it is like now, but you used to be able to shoot any of the leftover relics from the war. $1 a shot. Hand grenades were about $100-$250 a toss and the top shelf item a Chinese B-40 rocket grenade $250-350+.

Count our blessings for living in the USA.

Aloha

[baggss]

Having been to S. Korea twice and seen the N. Korean side from the DMZ, I have long been fascinated with N. Korea. While the economy and living conditions are atrocious, I was struck by a comment made by a citizen during one of the documentaries. She said there is no crime. Ever. Any time day or night, anyone can go about their business without fear of being robbed or accosted.

I guess there is some slight silver lining there, right?

Except of course the government. They are known to arbitrarily harass, arrest and murder their citizenry with no due process of law and no second thoughts. They have all the guns, an Antis paradise of sorts.

But yeah, no crime is a silver lining.

[Norcalkid]

I'm quite familiar with Thailand (my girlfriend is Thai) that's why it's not on my list. :-) For many reasons we'll just visit Chiang Mai and a few other select destinations there.

Foreigners can't own property there either. Sure, you can establish a company through a Thai attorney and through the company you can "own" (it's really a 30 year renewable lease) property. No thanks.

Pretty country, generally nice people, great food, lousy governance.

Recently some guy got a 60 year sentence for a negative Facebook post about the Royal Thai Family. They were "nice" and reduced it to 30 years.

Like Singapore, we'll just visit for 2-3 months at a time there.

[FNH5-7]

Thanks!

I'll have to check out Gunboards and see if he knows anything about Chile, Costa Rica and Uruguay gun laws.

In my first statement I was off a little bit, they didn't get rid of the right completely but they did severely restrict it compared to what it was like just a few years ago. No more "weapons of war" allowed.

People used to be able to own all kinds of guns in Costa Rica. They could legally own AK's, AR's, FAL's, as long as they were semi automatic. Then the government and anti gun groups realized it wasn't in their constitution and got rid of highly restricted that right. And guess what? Crime is now rising.......

"The first thing you need to know is that only citizens of Costa Rica and Permanent Residents with a valid permanent residency card are allowed to own, register or carry weapons in Costa Rica. If you have a Temporary Residency category you will NOT be able to do so."

More info:

http://www.therealcostarica.com/moving_to_costa_rica/bring_firearms_costa_rica.html

[FireCloud9]

I think you misunderstood my post. Switzerland did/does allow legal residents to own firearms but has a short list of countries that their citizens are not allowed to I remember one being Serbia. I believe becoming a Swiss citizen requires proving you have a quite substantial income.

Gunboards has a fair amount of foreign members I'm sure the South American ones can fill you in on some of the laws. I think Brasil and maybe Uruguay restricts handgun calibers to 32 and below

Thanks for the clarification. Brazil isn't one of my target countries for potential permanent residency, but thanks for the info.

Australia / New Zealand (target / sport shooting w/ permit and sports shooting club membership)
Austria (target / sport shooting w/ permit and sports shooting club membership)
Belgium
Canada (target / sport shooting w/ permit and sports shooting club membership)
Chile (target / sport shooting w/ permit and sports shooting club membership)
Costa Rica
Denmark
France (target / sport shooting w/ permit and sports shooting club membership)
Germany (target / sport shooting w/ permit and sports shooting club membership)
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Portugal
Spain
Switzerland (target / sport shooting w/ permit and sports shooting club membership)
U.K. (target / sport shooting w/ permit and sports shooting club membership)
Uruguay

[FireCloud9]

This is a good thread. Thanks to the OP for starting this.

At the very least, it makes me appreciate even more what "freedom" I currently experience. It gives me some perspective...

Your welcome.

There's even more freedom to be had outside the walls of California.

[FireCloud9]

In my first statement I was off a little bit, they didn't get rid of the right completely but they did severely restrict it compared to what it was like just a few years ago. No more "weapons of war" allowed.



"The first thing you need to know is that only citizens of Costa Rica and Permanent Residents with a valid permanent residency card are allowed to own, register or carry weapons in Costa Rica. If you have a Temporary Residency category you will NOT be able to do so."

More info:

http://www.therealcostarica.com/movi...osta_rica.html

Permanent residency would be the point.

A place to retire and still be able to go and enjoy target shooting.

I've narrowed down the list of places based on numerous other variables. Now I just have to finalize it.

[smle-man]

What are the legal ramifications of owning an unlicensed handgun? Because that story about that widower was of one that wasn't.

Also, these are what the UK has to do to get around anti-Handgun laws:



They have to turn all handguns into "carbines" with use of a balance rod and longer barrels.

I stand behind the fact that UK is highly restrictive of semi-automatic firearms however (only exception being rimfire and shotguns):



One plus side I heard is that silencers/suppressors are not nearly as vilified or restrictive to obtain in the UK than in the US.

Silencers (moderators) are encouraged in the UK as a good neighbor thing to do. Having an unlicensed handgun in the UK is a sure ticket to the Queen's hospitality at the gaol.

[sakosf]

Finland has a high % of firearms ownership by European standards.

Among Asian countries, a lot of guns in the Philippines