Europe and concealed carry laws?

[Irfan]

I’d like to hear from all those who live in European countries if you are allowed to carry you weapons, especially pistols? Here in Bosnia we are still allowed to concealed carry our pistols if you have a gun license of course and we don’t have two kinds of licenses (one for just owning a pistol and one for carrying one which is very, very hard to get) as it is the case in our neighbor countries like Serbia and Croatia. Sometimes I found myself to believe that we have the most liberal gun-law in whole Europe regarding the concealed carry laws.

My father predicts that they will never ban carrying pistols in Bosnia but I don’t see it that way especially if we enter the EU.

 

[duns]

I spent most of my life so far in England where it is effectively impossible for a civilian to own a handgun. I now live in Texas where I have a rapidly expanding collection of handguns...I appreciate my second amendment rights...I have my concealed handgun license...I see no reason at all why law-abiding citizens should not possess the means to defend themselves against deadly threats. I enjoy shooting my guns but more importantly they are a symbol and an assertion of my basic human right to defend myself.

 

[Bohemus]

Austria, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia(not sure there) and Czech republic allow CCW.
Czech law makes no difference if you carry 25acp mouse pistol or .50 BGM Barrett, as long as you cenceal it

 

[KBintheSLC]

Bulgaria has pretty decent gun rights for an EU country. If you would have told me 25 years ago that regular folks could one day own guns there, I would have laughed. Now days it is a norm. I am only concerned that the EU will continue to pressure Bulgaria to destroy this right in order to conform to their leftist agenda.

 

[Skylerbone]

Interesting topic for today, considering what happened in England. If you don't already know, check the news outlets and look for the story. Unfortunately the leftists will use it as an excuse to outlaw all guns.

Taxi driver + shotgun = 12 dead at 11 locations and 30 crime scenes. Look out England, they'll be taking your long guns next.

Unfortunately none of these people had a chance to protect themselves as no one I know goes out in public armed with a long gun.

 

[vaupet]

In Belgium, handguns are only allowed for licenced target shooters and can only be transported locked in a locked case, invisible from outside the vehicle and with the ammo in a separate, also locked, container.
Guns can only be transported between home and range and between home and gunstore.

Yet, yesterday someone shot a judge and her clerk in a courtroom, criminals, by definition, don't care much for laws.

Peter

 

[gvass]

In Hungary for real handguns CCW permit is theoretically possible IF the applicant proves, he/she is in "danger which requires firearm to defend himself/herself".


So practically it is IMPOSSIBLE, less than 9 000 CCW issued in a country with population of 10 million. Most of the CCWs are in hands of politicians, judges, attorneys, LEOs. It is like a NON-shall-issue US state.


However, some types of non-lethal guns (gas-alarm handguns) are free to own, and the CCW is shall-issue if you have no criminal record. There are more than 50.000 such CCWs out there.

CCW for an ordinary citizen is very rare in EU generally, but a CCW in the hand of a politician is typical.

 

[berrieberrie]

In Belgium, handguns are only allowed for licenced target shooters.

Broad generalization. Most people who own handguns ARE licensed target shooters, but there a other categories of people that can get a permit: collectors, "recreational shooters", people with a legitimate need for a gun for self defense purposes...

 

[batjka]

I believe in France one can carry a BP gun concealed. Which is not much for most folks, but knowledgeable people will tell you that a pocket .31 cal Remington or Colt are a pretty formidable weapon. There are also Freedom Arms and NAA .22 revolvers that can be loaded with Bullseye giving them decent ballistics. And FMJ double-barrel .45 derringers that are pocketable.

 

[geekWithA.45]

So practically it is IMPOSSIBLE, less than 9 000 CCW issued in a country with population of 10 million. Most of the CCWs are in hands of politicians, judges, attorneys, LEOs. It is like a NON-shall-issue US state.

Actually, that's better than the Dark & Fascist State of New Jersey.

NJ population = 8.7 mil
Normal citizen CCWs: about 600
LEO CCWs: about 1500

gvass: Have you got a citation for those figures? I know NJ gunrights groups that'd love to make hay with that.

 

[Rovert]

gvass: Have you got a citation for those figures? I know NJ gunrights groups that'd love to make hay with that.

Amen, brother. If anyone stumbles across verification, please email me at: president-at-njcsd-dot-org.

G, glad to see you're still around. I finally escaped to NEPA - Pike County. Maybe we can meet sometime. Would love to catch up. The girls gotta be getting big now.

 

[stchman]

Kind of funny that Belgium has such strict gun laws when FN-Herstal is headquartered in Belgium.

 

[52grain]

Kind of funny that Belgium has such strict gun laws when FN-Herstal is headquartered in Belgium.

Miroku is based in Japan and makes the majority of the Browning (owned by FN-Herstal) guns sold in the US. Japanese gun laws are way stricter than Belgian gun laws. Kind of scary to buy a gun made by people who will probably never own one.

 

[arcsound]

Ironic that Bugaria, former east bloc satellite of the Soviet empire, is being pressured by the "Socialists" in formerly Western Europe. When did the West, including the USA, derail so badly?