Guns the Italian Carabineri carry
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xsquidgator
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Very cool and informative, thanks for the link. So would it be correct to view the Carabineri in U.S. analogs as sort of a cross between perhaps State Police or State Troopers, and a State National Guard? I got the idea I think with respect to Polizia Municiapale and the like being local police (they all carried at least holstered pistols too).
Coastie2010
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They are basically Military Police with civil duties, which is very common in most European countries. The French Gendarmes are actually part of the Army, and in addition to their domestic duties (they patrol the highways and small towns), serve (and deploy overseas) as MPs and even feature an Armored regiment (with actual light tanks, not just SWAT armored cars) and a parachute brigade (they made a HALO assault on a cave full of Corsican separatists who had taken hostages).
The municipal police are actually a national force as well, but are not soldiers and thus are part of the interior ministry, rather than defense. In spite of the "municipal" name, it is rare for a European city to have a truly local police force. Most will be under national or at least state/provincial authority.
As a side note, the French firefighters are also part of the military (called sapeurs-pompiers, as they are part of the combat engineering branch [the sappers]) and are headed by a General (in Paris) or an Admiral (in Marseille, where they are under the navy and called marins-pompiers).
Big Boomer
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I just got back from Italy about a month ago and spent a good 2 weeks their and toured most of the country.
I had seen those as well and their purdy white holsters (snickers) I also noticed about 50% of them had a lanyard (coiled one) attached to their pistols. A few occasions I did see some carrying submachine guns of some make or another. They looked old though from like WW2. Not familiar with make or models but looked to be a 9mm variant with the long stick mags.
I wanted to strike up a conversation about guns but they didn't look like the conversational type.
I had seen those as well and their purdy white holsters (snickers) I also noticed about 50% of them had a lanyard (coiled one) attached to their pistols. A few occasions I did see some carrying submachine guns of some make or another. They looked old though from like WW2. Not familiar with make or models but looked to be a 9mm variant with the long stick mags.
I wanted to strike up a conversation about guns but they didn't look like the conversational type.
silverlance
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Prince Yamato
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Isn't the Italian national weather bureau also military operated? Wasn't there a kerfuffle a couple years ago, because they appointed a non military meteorologist to give the weather on television?
Porter Glockwell
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I lived in southern Italy (Puglia, Calabria and Sicily) for 2 years as a Mormon missionary. There were at least 4 different types of police with varying duties. We had the municipal Polizia who carried Beretta 92 pistols and *rarely Beretta SMGs, Caribineri (92's, subguns and occasional shotguns or AR70 rifles) Guardia di Finanze (always 92's and subguns, often rifles) and Military Police (ar70 rifles and shotguns)
The Military police were mainly conscrips guarding high profile judges etc. Easy talk to and didn't really want to be there. The Caribineri were mostly very cool and easy to talk guns with AFTER you broke the ice.
They guys you DID NOT mess with were the Guardia di Finanze. IRS beancounters with guns. They wear grey nazi style uniforms and have by far the most power including warrantess searches of nearly any property in Italy. They were hard core. We witnessed a shootout in Gela Sicily 2 streets over from our apartment balcony and I distinctly remember the Polizia and Carabineri ducking behind automobiles for cover while 2 Guardia di Finanze agents walked calmly up the middle of the street pouring rounds into a suspect vehicle with their AR70's. They were fearless and more than a little insane.
The Military police were mainly conscrips guarding high profile judges etc. Easy talk to and didn't really want to be there. The Caribineri were mostly very cool and easy to talk guns with AFTER you broke the ice.
They guys you DID NOT mess with were the Guardia di Finanze. IRS beancounters with guns. They wear grey nazi style uniforms and have by far the most power including warrantess searches of nearly any property in Italy. They were hard core. We witnessed a shootout in Gela Sicily 2 streets over from our apartment balcony and I distinctly remember the Polizia and Carabineri ducking behind automobiles for cover while 2 Guardia di Finanze agents walked calmly up the middle of the street pouring rounds into a suspect vehicle with their AR70's. They were fearless and more than a little insane.
xsquidgator
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I'm glad you mentioned those, I saw a few and thought "what in the world are those, financial police?" I thought "finanze" must have meant something else but it makes sense the way you explain it.
Yesterday, 02:21 PM #26
m_733 wrote:
m_733 I grew up in a different era ... I do not recall anyone locking their front doors, or any mom worried about her children taking the bus downtown to the YMCA, or to browse in pawn shops, or to watch the 5 movies plus serials, cartoons, and movietone news for half a day. In my 'Growing up in America', troops on street corners with guns showing were what the news reels were about ... war in Euorpe, or Korea ... the Soviet tanks rolling into Budapest, Hungary.
So yes it mattered to this young lad. Vietnam changed my view of my world.
m_733 wrote:
m_733 I grew up in a different era ... I do not recall anyone locking their front doors, or any mom worried about her children taking the bus downtown to the YMCA, or to browse in pawn shops, or to watch the 5 movies plus serials, cartoons, and movietone news for half a day. In my 'Growing up in America', troops on street corners with guns showing were what the news reels were about ... war in Euorpe, or Korea ... the Soviet tanks rolling into Budapest, Hungary.
So yes it mattered to this young lad. Vietnam changed my view of my world.
When I was in France the Gendarmes (or maybe it was the poice nationale I dont remember) often carried the FAMAS particularly at the train station.
Although a friend who worked for the police nationale told me that they aren't loaded, but I dont know if thats true.
Pistols with laynards are also very common. I dont recall what type of pistol however.
I also wouldn't mess with the cops there. The national police can get away with a lot (the police municipale haandle traffic more than anything and not well respected by the public) and I personaly saw them smack people around etc. They also use dogs in ways that there is probably just too much liability for in the states. Security guars at the mall would patrol with Rotties, malinois, GSDs, and I even saw a cane corso.
Although a friend who worked for the police nationale told me that they aren't loaded, but I dont know if thats true.
Pistols with laynards are also very common. I dont recall what type of pistol however.
I also wouldn't mess with the cops there. The national police can get away with a lot (the police municipale haandle traffic more than anything and not well respected by the public) and I personaly saw them smack people around etc. They also use dogs in ways that there is probably just too much liability for in the states. Security guars at the mall would patrol with Rotties, malinois, GSDs, and I even saw a cane corso.
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