other gun-friendly countries?

[jason41987]

hey everyone... im curious as to what other gun friendly countries are available on this planet.. sure this has been discussed before on other forums, possibly on here too, but many are quite old, and laws change rapidly...

so, im actually visiting a few countries in europe... czech republic, sweden, italy, switzerland, ukraine, russia, and possibly poland... and well, it just got me to thinking which countries, specifically european ones are friendly with people owning guns...

ive done some extensive research into the czech republic, and its a pretty gun friendly country... you need a license to buy guns and theyre available in different classes, but not hard to get... they allow foreigners to buy and possess guns with these licenses as well if you can prove you can legally own guns in your country of origin (this is waived for american citizens of course)....

apparently, once you have a license to buy a handgun, which again is easier to achieve than even a few US states, you can carry said handgun concealed legally......

so, does anyone have insight on any other countries?... ive heard ukraine is fairly gun friendly too... the swiss seem to be restricting them more and more to anyone whos not a member of their military/militia.. italy seems to be going downhill fast... so i was wondering what else is out there?...

im not sure if this is the appropriate section for this thread, so i wont be suprised if it gets moved

 

[Sam1911]

Nothing quite like the freedoms we enjoy here in the USA, unfortunately.

That said, some countires at least allow some form of firearm ownership. Two that come to mind (both being mentioned by friends of mine planning to do the Ex-Pat thing on retirement) are Costa Rica and South Africa.

 

[jason41987]

i know guatemala is very gun friendly, and american friendly.. but i plan to visit a few european countries over the next couple years, and probably spend atleast a few years in one of them after i get my degree... or i might even finish my degree there since college there is nearly free.. would actually cost me less to pay for an apartment, utilities, food, and fuel plus college than it would cost me to pay for college here without those expenses included

also, do to the medical in europe, i can have higher quality eye surgery done at half the cost as well, so i may schedule PRK surgery while im there... but i thought it would be nice to find more gun friendly countries, and so far ive found, and am really starting to like the idea of czech republic, which even allows military-style semi autos with the appropriate license

does anyone know what happened to italy and when? they used to be pretty gun friendly, even allowing handguns but now you cant even carry a knife there

 

[HGUNHNTR]

Switzerland was good when I was there 2006-2007, albeit firearms are expensive. That is partially offset by the average wage earned in Suisse though, quite a bit higher than the US.

 

[jason41987]

does switzerland allow concealed carry at all? anyone know?.. and whats their stance on something like an AR-15?

i just read more into czech republic and apparently they do sell AR-15s in czech gun shops in the same configuration as they sell them here in the US.. same magazines too i believe... turns out their people really love the CZ-75s there

 

[smalls]

If I remember right, every man in Switzerland is given an automatic weapon, which they are to maintain, and expected to be proficient with. I also believe every man over 18 is "in" the armed forces.

Could be wrong, I just remember reading that somewhere.

 

[HGUNHNTR]

does switzerland allow concealed carry at all? anyone know?.. and whats their stance on something like an AR-15?

No CC that I know of. As far as AR's go, not only to they embrace them, you are also able to purchase a full auto version--and no bbl length restrictions either.

 

[Cosmoline]

There are gun friendly clubs and people in many European nations. But it's a stretch to say any of those countries are "gun friendly." In central and most of Western Europe the lawful gun culture is mostly limited to clubs and is historically club-based. When you are in, and have all your licenses, you can buy all kinds of goodies. Including lots of stuff nobody can get stateside, even with a Class 3. But carrying them around? Not so much. And I believe CCW is pretty much universally barred except for the high levels of law enforcement and spooky types.

Scandinavia has historically been pretty gun-friendly due to the deeply rooted hunting cultures, but that's been changing for the worse. From what the cousins in Sweden report, it's way, way left of center these days. Finland may be a little better, but I know it's been under EU pressure to crack down.

The UK is of course a near-total disaster, apart from some little jurisdictional safe havens like the Isle of Man which is some kind of "crown territory" or something that keeps it from Parliament's reach. It's far worse in England than the Continent from all I've heard. You can do BP and some shotgunning, but only within very narrow parameters. And the penalties are *VERY* draconian. My weekend activities, harmless though they are, would land me in prison for the rest of my natural life over there.

Not sure about the current situation in Eastern Europe.

 

[oneounceload]

czech republic, sweden, italy, switzerland, ukraine, russia,

All good, add the rest of Scandinavia, New Zealand, Dominican Republic, Canada, many of the SA countries

Of course for the best places for guns, you need to look at the war zone called the Middle East; unfortunately, law and order also seem to be missing there. Spain isn't too bad, neither is France, Cyprus, etc.

While some places are a little more free than many US states, overall, as entire countries, the US still leads the pack

 

[AlexanderA]

One thing that needs to be pointed out is that in Europe, you need to look at the gun laws, on one side of the ledger, and then the actual practice, on the other. There seems to be an inverse correlation, in that, as a general rule, the stricter the gun laws, the greater the rate of non-compliance. For example, in Greece, rifled long arms greater than .22 cal. are outlawed, yet the country is awash with AK-47's, which are used in crime on a daily basis.

 

[Ignition Override]

There must be some pressure on the Norwegian govt. after the massacre on that tiny island months ago. The mass murderer Brevik had a Mini 14.
I have no idea whether it was legal for him to have acquired it.

Who knows whether similar pressure is being exerted on govts. in other Scandinavian countries.

 

[Bernie Lomax]

I remember reading someplace that Bolivia has very permissive gun laws. You can buy anything there (even full-auto) just by signing an affidavit that you're not a criminal or mental patient. Of course, it doesn't really matter to most Bolivians since the vast majority of them are too mired in poverty to afford anything but a machete.

 

[Panzercat]

I'm pretty sure everybody and their dog has a gun in the middle east but don't quote me on that.

 

[Prince Yamato]

Czech Republic is probably the best. You can even get ccw. Most of the other countries are "club based". I think
Romania is actually ok to. Not that I'd really want to move to Romania...

 

[BJ Orange]

Somalia?

 

[jason41987]

i wouldnt be too worried about romania, i have a couple friends there, low population density too and you can buy land fairly cheap... as long fog lit by a full moon rolling towards you with the sound of howling wolves dont spark memories of stories of vampires and werewolves...

im thinking of transferring to czech republic and finish my degree, as an american citizen living there it wouldnt be hard for me to get the license to own and carry handguns, id be happy to report my experience afterwards

i was reading swiss laws and it appears there is in fact no carry law, and full auto is only allowed on their issued rifle, which after they reach 30 is converted to single fire... so i guess it would be like living in a state that was tough on CCW, but lenient on everything else...

that all being said, it seems czech republic would be the most gun friendly country in europe, switzerland being second, or perhaps finland, though i havent studied their laws yet

 

[mortablunt]

The Czech Republic is pretty close. It's better than a lot of the more restrictive states actually.

 

[Texan Scott]

I live in Texas... we're a pretty gun-friendly country...

 

[mdauben]

All good, add the rest of Scandinavia, New Zealand, Dominican Republic, Canada, many of the SA countries

Perhaps its just personal opinion, but I have a hard time calling any country that effectivly bans private ownership of handguns, until only recently required registration of long guns, and places strict limitations on "high cap" long guns (note, the 6-round Garand is considered a "high cap" long gun under Canadian law), to be "gun friendly". The continued hunting/sustinence culture in Canada may prevent them from being totally "gun unfriendly" to the extent many European countries are, but still...

 

[Owen Sparks]

You say "other" as if the US was gun friendly. I guess everything is relitive.

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

Grand Turk doesn't have any income or property taxes but I am not aware of their gun policies. Other than the occasional hurricane the weather is pretty good too.

 

[oneounceload]

Perhaps its just personal opinion, but I have a hard time calling any country that effectivly bans private ownership of handguns, until only recently required registration of long guns, and places strict limitations on "high cap" long guns (note, the 6-round Garand is considered a "high cap" long gun under Canadian law), to be "gun friendly". The continued hunting/sustinence culture in Canada may prevent them from being totally "gun unfriendly" to the extent many European countries are, but still...

Well, that would then include a good portion of the US, wouldn't it? IL, NY, NJ, CT, MA, DC, RI, HI, CA - that's over half this country's population

 

[Atrox-Venator]

Nothing quite like the freedoms we enjoy here in the USA, unfortunately.

That said, some countires at least allow some form of firearm ownership. Two that come to mind (both being mentioned by friends of mine planning to do the Ex-Pat thing on retirement) are Costa Rica and South Africa.

Current Costa Rican gun laws leave a lot to be desired, and more restrictive legislation is likely to pass in the near future. Firearm ownership isn’t a constitutionally protected right, but a privilege granted by the government; and as such can be outlawed at any moment.

Costa Ricans in general take pride in their country lacking a military force and like to consider themselves a “peace-loving” nation. Firearm enthusiasts are scarce, shooting ranges and gun shops are scarcer. The practice of legal hunting is declining and not well received by the majority of the population.

All firearms must be registered, and individuals are only allowed to possess up to three -usually handguns- for personal protection; more if they're intended for sporting purposes. Concealed carry is allowed if the person is over 18 years of age and has a clean background; they must also pass theoretical, practical, and psychological examinations. No open carry is permitted.

The maximum legal caliber for both handguns and rifles is: .45” (any cartridge of that average bore diameter); 12 gauge for shotguns. There are no restrictions on barrel length; SBR’s / SBS’s = OK. Forbidden are: fully-automatic firearms, sound suppressors, higher than 10-round capacity magazines for centerfire semi-automatic rifles; or any of the following types of ammunition: armor-piercing, tracer, incendiary and explosive.

From what I recall, laws equivalent to Castle Doctrine or Stand-Your-Ground don’t exist. Force-on-force confrontations must be “proportional”; so if an attacker utilizes an edged or blunt weapon, the victim shouldn’t use a firearm for protection.

Quite frankly, I don’t miss living in Costa Rica at all and I’m very proud to call the United States of America my new home.

 

[BCRider]

I live in Texas... we're a pretty gun-friendly country...

Y'all thinkin' of seceeding from the Union if they get any more uppity?

Mdauben, once you get out and away from the major cities the folks out there are actually very long gun friendly and it is seen as more of a daily tool than a special hunting or sporting rifle. Hence the abysmal failure of the Long Gun Registry up here to account for more than about 1/2 to maybe 2/3's of the rifles and shotguns that are in use in rural areas and the northern half of this rather large land mass. keep in mind that while we may only have around 1/10th the population of the US we have more land area. That says a lot about how long guns are seen by those that live out in the areas well away from cell phone coverage.

 

[hang fire]

Here in Arizona the state laws are very gun friendly and cannot be overridden by local ordinances.

But from what I have read, the Philippines used to be one of the best so far as firearms ownership. But having no constitutional right, the government is becoming more restrictive all the time..