Question to those not in the USA, and who have lived outside the USA.
I've been thinking about something and want to check an assumption I have. I only hear directly from other people in the USA, and interract with the global community through memes. How are the gun regulations/laws different from yours in terms of strictness, and do you wish there was more or less where you live?
Not looking for a debate here, discuss cold drinks vs hot drinks instead. Appreciate either answer. ❤️
Edit: Thanks for the answers all. I'm super proud how productive eveyone kept this talk. I figured most of you had very different experiences than I. I'll share my most recent experience. I don't have a firearm, but have considered it after being trained enough. When sharing this with "normal" people around town, I had multiple people offer to sell or gift me a gun where the serial number was scratched off and non-traceable. I ofter heard, "oh man, yeah. You need a gun." I have literally never needed one. The fact that people offer to give me one when I don't have a liscence or training shows the mindset of the minority here and how much of a problem a few individuals can make to safety within the current system.
Australia here - our change to gun control was well covered by John Oliver some years back but, in short, we had a mass shooting in 1996 (Port Arthur) that resulted in 35 deaths and 23 wounded, that changed Australia's mindset forever.
Our Prime Minster at the time worked with all states and territories to enact stricter laws on licensing and obtaining firearms. Yes, we've had crimes classed as mass shootings (4+ casualties) since, but nothing on the scale of Port Arthur - primarily because the change in laws reclassified semi-automatic weapons, and made them harder to obtain.
Before then, I'd shot guns with my dad - we'd enjoyed target shooting as a moderate hobby. But, aside from that, we had no other good reason to keep firearms, and my dad handed them in during the buyback scheme. We played our part in over a million weapons being handed back and destroyed, and I have no regrets. I'm now raising my child in a society where gun violence is considered rare, and I'm happy with that.
German here, I'm pretty sure I've never seen a gun irl, except when used by the police or military. They are just not really a thing here. Nobody I've ever met owns one, nobody wants or needs one, nobody even talks about them.
There are legal ways to get a gun, but I never had to care about the details. That's pretty amazing imo, if you consider how big of a topic and problem they are in the US.
Norway - Similar to many European countries, owning a gun requires a certifiable reason to do so, which basically means hunting or target shooting. Loads of guns here, as there's a lot of moose and deer. Obtaining and owning a hunting rifle requires skill tests and a theoretical exam, and you need to be part of a hunting group.
ARs are banned for obvious reasons. The only exception is for people who are army reservists who are (were?) allowed to store their service weapon at home, if they have proper secure storage options available. This may have changed since I was a reservist myself, but those were the rules in 2007 at least.
Pistols are legal for target shooting, but with strict background checks and so forth. Plus you have to be part of a target shooting club. Getting a pistol is generally harder than a rifle, as a means of preventing pistols from ending up on the streets. Gun voilence happens, but it is extremely rare, and mostly tied to gangs and/or organized crime. Except from this asshole in 2011.
Carrying permit for guns is pretty much none existent. To/from hunting or shooting range.
Self defense is not a valid reason for obtaining and carrying a gun. You don't really need it either. The only exception is Svalbard where is is possible due to polar bears. And even then, you can't be an idiot about it; a few years ago this dumbass got permanently banned from the Svalbard territory after intentionally provoking a polar bear, then shooting it, claiming self defense.
In Canada you can buy hunting rifles at some Canadian Tires (think Target). You must get a PAL license and do some in-person firearms safety and training, store the rifle in a locked and certified gun locker, and can only carry it around to the range and for hunting.
It’s fairly strict on who gets a PAL (I can’t get one ever in my life because I was hospitalized for major depressive disorder when I was 18 and am 30 now).
Most people don’t care about guns here. They’re good for moose hunting and little air rifles are fun to shoot when one goes up to a cottage or something. There’s a small minority here that is very passionate about gun laws, but that same group also is usually very keen on the first and second amendment and often need to be reminded that those are American laws, not Canadian.
Czech Republic here. I know there's a license involved but other than that I have no clue how it works. Why should I know anything about gun regulations? It's such a niche and unimportant thing...
The only guns I have ever seen in my entire life were from a friend's dad when I was little, who was a park ranger and needed them to keep animal populations in check.
Never saw an other gun, ever.
If you don't live in a shithole country, you don't need guns in order to feel safe.
Vietnam. I've never seen someone with a gun that wasn't army, police, or at an Olympic event. Civilians can only own shotguns, and even then under a lot of restrictions. It's quite uncommon but I've heard of companies with rubber plantations out in the middle of nowhere having one gun on site. I've only heard of it being used to kill the odd wild boar that accidentally wanders into the office building.
There are some illegal guns from time to time, but not that many. It's something I've only seen on the news.
The current situation suits me just fine -- at our population density, I'm not comfortable with gun ownership being widespread. When you put enough people in a small space, there's always someone angry nearby, always someone celebrating, being born, dying. With everything happening everywhere all at once, adding guns to the mix would not be great, I think.
Also as one of very few immigrants to Vietnam, I am already seen as a target for thieves. People imagine I must be magically very wealthy or something -- I'm not. I came here with nothing and built a company, to progress to maybe middle-class. I live in the slums quietly like a normal person.
I would be OK with the police or army running shooting ranges where you could rent a gun to practice target shooting. Maybe that already exists, for all I know. I haven't really checked. There are archery ranges though, this is good enough for me :D
On the other hand -- more or less all citizens are trained to service an assault rifle. The means disassembly, cleaning, maintenance. My wife was fastest in her university class. We just don't own guns.
The rifle given to active members of the armed forces (militia system means this is most men basically) can either be kept at home or stored in an army facility until needed for service. It must be stored disassembled, locked, out of reach, and without ammunition. (Ammunition isn't given anyways.) It may not be used for anything outside of armed forces' service.
Private firearms can be bought after obtaining a permit with a background check. It can only be used on firing ranges which are almost always run by an association (syndicate? not sure about the translation, basically a shooting for fun and sports club) which provides some level of social control (no shooting alone whenever you feel like it). The firearm can only be transported from or to the firing range and otherwise not be carried. When transported it should be in a locked box in the boot of the car, not in the owners trousers or something crazy like that. Ammunition is typically provided by the organisation so no need to own any (but firearm owners can buy it.) For carrying it in general a much more difficult to get permit is needed. Conceal carry doesn't exist afaik.
In my country its not allowed for civilians to murder people with guns, even if they come to your house or look like another ethnicity. Cops still do it sometimes tho, but they usually use cars/boots
India. Very strict gun laws. This law is enforced in the part of India that I live in. The only gunshots that I've heard in my life are from movies and video games. However, I did hold a gun in my hand once hehe. One of my friends' dads had a gun license for some reason (I think he was a top level policeman or something). It was an unloaded black revolver that he was showing off to us kids lol. I remember being surprised at how much heavier it was than I thought it to be.
HOWEVER, in northern India (especially Uttar Pradesh), illegal guns are a very real thing. The law is very poorly enforced there. So yeah.... There's that.
I live in Oregon but grew up in Australia, where you can't get guns. There's a process for farmers to apply for a gun to shoot roos and whatnot, but that's it. Other than that only police and military get guns.
Having lived in countries with no guns and all the guns, I would vote for almost anyone who promised to criminalize gun ownership here in the US. There's no benefit to a gun flooded society and infinite misery.
You can get a hunting licence and buy a gun/rifle/shotgun. It takes a test, and i think you cant have violent crimes. You also need a gun "safe" (basically a shitty locker like in US highschool movies), and the cops can come whenever they want to inspect it (usually regular, i forget if once per yearor 6 months or something).
That said theres still guns from the war. One grampa died and the cops found a bunch of rifles and granades in the attic, and a minefield infront of his house. Everybody knew about it, but knew he was a harmless nut.
The UK has really strict laws on firearms AFAIK, you have to either apply for a certificate from the police or surrender them even if you're an antique collector. The government website ofc does into more detail. I'm not really involved in the firearms debate, so I can't say if I want more or less. I will say there's a lot of knife crime in the UK though, enough for it to be a common occurrence on local news and a meme in online circles.
I'm not from here, but in Svalbard, a firearm is a legal requirement due to the bears in the area, but even then the use of it should be a last-resort if all the other bear deterrents have failed. Tom Scott's got a good video on it.
Where I live (Slovakia) you need a license to own firearms. Getting that license is a lengthy and rigid procedure and needs to be repeated every 5 years. Fully automatic rifles are forbidden for civilians. The most commonly owned firearm is a hunting rifle. If you happen to own a firearm, but don't have a license, you are required to have it stored at a police station, for example when you inherit your grandfather's hunting rifle. For that you pay a relatively low storage fee, but you still own it.
I think these laws are fine. I don't own a firearm myself, but I do know one guy who carries a 9mm on him at all times for defensive purposes (his daughter had a very bad experience, after which he decided to carry a gun). I like the fact that a license is always only valid for 5 years.
Switzerland: Lot of guns here, but there are background checks and every gun is accounted for as you have to send a copy of the receipt to the government. There are also other laws surrounding the whole topic like how to properly store them, how to transport guns etc.
But there are a lot of guns and basically no incidents. However the overall respect toward guns as well as strong social security probably go a long way.
Side note: I only ever once shot a gun. Went to a shooting range (friend of mine had to go there anyway for mandatory military shooting exercises), they had a range to shoot handguns. Applied, got one, did my 10 rounds and left. But there was strong supervision, one wrong move and they would take the gun away.
In Brazil guns are expensive (multiple monthly minimum wage), there are no gun shops easily available and the Policia Federal (kinda like FBI) needs to check your background and approve you before you buy (and they usually don't).
Last presidential term, Bolsonaro tried to make easier to buy and have guns available, and as result a lot of guns got in the hands of organized crime. Now most of these changes were revoked.
I don't like guns around, you guys have a huge problem with school shootings and this trend is spreading to Brazil (and we have problems enough already).
A peaceful society with guns can be peaceful; a violent society without guns easily available will be violent; but a violent society with guns will be far more deadly.
New Zealand. Gun laws are pretty strict, though we have lots of farmers who have guns for defending livestock. You can own guns with a valid reason (e.g. recreational shooting, not self defense) but essentially the only two places they can be is in a locked safe or (being transported to) a gun range.
In addition any and all tools and weapons are illegal to carry for the purpose of self defense (knives, pepper spray, tazers, clubs, screwdrivers, etc.). There's a crime epidemic here at the moment, corner stores being robbed by people with machetes, jewelry stores ram raided with trucks, but if you dare even carry pepper spray to defend yourself you can be jailed. Don't bother calling the cops either, they won't be there until at least half an hour later. Cops don't care about robberies. We literally once had the dispatcher tell us that no police would be coming. It's ridiculous.
I wish self defense laws were less crazy here, if someone enters your home or property armed with a weapon you should be able to respond appropriately without fear of going to jail yourself.
Live in a third world country sort of famous for its gang violence and migrant caravans, and we have strict gun laws. Used to be you could buy semi auto rifles, now unless you got a good reason (like hunting), pistols are your best hope.
Honestly, at this point I wish we had an easier time getting a hold of them. It might be the help people in some areas need to drive gangs out their neighborhoods, cus I sure as hell ain't trusting a pig not to take a bribe.
Edit: also, might make the government think twice about fucking with democracy or stepping over the common man.
India has 5.3 civilian firearms per 100 people. This should give a glimpse of the gun laws, but this is slightly inaccurate, as I've not read the 2019 amendment to gun laws. To read the new amendment, you can check it out here.
To obtain a license, a person must be:
At least 21 years of age.
Be a citizen of India
Should have a clean criminal record.
Should be mentally and physically fit.
Should have a valid reason for owning a firearm.
License will be permitted on a may-issue basis, and can take several months or years.
You can only own one firearm, according to the 2019 Arms Act. Earlier, you could own three.
Armour-piercing, explosive and incendiary ammunition are prohibited
Weapons are divided into prohibited and non-prohibited bore:
Non-prohibited weapons include single-shot or bolt-action firearms. Only owning a non-prohibited bore firearm is allowed under the license.
Shotguns, semi-automatic and full-automatic firearms come under prohibited bore, of which, only semi-automatic may be allowed with a specialized prohibited bore license - getting this license is next to impossible.
Only air guns with a caliber of .177 or less do not require license or registration.
Registration of new guns, as well as renewal of license, regardless of their category is required.
Only concealed carry is permitted under the 1959 Arms Act, but I think this is no longer the case in the 2019 amendment - even concealed carry is prohibited?
If found making firearms illegally, guilty of killing innocent, or without a license and/or registration, the penalties can be very serious with up to life imprisonment in the worst-case scenario.
Spain/Poland: you can get a gun for sport shooting but you absolutely not allowed to carry it loaded. You can only take it to and from the shooting range but you have to unload it. You can get a gun for selfe defence but there's police review and psychology tests. If you get it it's mandatory to store it in a safe at home, you can't drink when you're carrying it, you have to carry it hidden. There are no stand your grand laws. If you shoot someone you will have to prove it was in response to direct threat to your life. Super happy with those laws.
Gun laws are fairly strict here. To own a gun at all, you need to get a firearms license ( ![https://www.firearmssafetyauthority.govt.nz/manage-and-apply/firearms-licence/you-apply-firearms-licence](if you're curious) ). You can get one once you're 16, and it includes a test of gun safety knowledge and someone coming to check your gun storage. It also only lets you get basic guns: bolt action rifles and shotguns, no handguns or semi auto. To own other guns, you need an endorsement, which has a vetting process similar to what cops go through.
Spain: you need a justification and they are super hard to get. The most common one is to use it in Training Centers and you are forced to use it there every year or you lose it.
Besides police I’ve never seen a gun in the street as it is strictly forbidden to carry them.
I'm from France. Getting a rifle is pretty easy, you "just" have to get a psych evaluation and a shooting club registration / hunting license. But that gets you long, manual weapons with small magazines. You can keep the gun if your license expires.
Then you can get a stronger license if your shooting club vets for you. This allows you to get handguns and semi auto rifles.
Any auto gun or explosive is basically only authorized for use for the military.
Oh and anything that can be used as a weapon is prohibited from being carried around in public spaces (yes, it is that vague), and protective equipment is subject to authorization as well (gas masks, bulletproof vests etc)
Edit: Wikipedia does not seem to explain it, but A class weapons are basically military only. B class is what you get through shooting club vetting. C class is for anyone registered by a club / hunting license. D is adults only, with exceptions for criminals etc
In Dominican Republic the laws don't allow anyone to carry, however, if you have enough money, you can pay your way through owning a gun and carrying legally. It's messed up. I wish the law about guns here was like in Australia. No guns. End of story.
Netherlands here. You can get a permit for sport shooting or hunting. Guns for self defense are not allowed.
Any violence used to catch a burglary or somebody breaking in has to be a reasonable response. So if they have no weapon and you hit them with a baseball bat you are actually in trouble. This can be very frustrating but there is a point to it. Minimal violence is the name of the game here.
Even the police are trained to talk first and only resort to violence when absolutely necessary. Drawing a weapon as a cop means filling out paperwork and there will be a review to make sure it was the right move.
However, for sport shooting you have to join a shooting club and shoot competition. The first year you can only shoot with air guns.
If you get a gun for sport shooting, you have to have a safe for the weapon, grounded to the wall and the floor. It will be inspected and police can check on you at random times.
Ammo and weapon should be separated at all times, transport can only be done in cases.
You are not allowed to load the gun until you are basically ready to shoot. If you have to shoot five times, you are not allowed to load six shots.
You can have a maximum of 5 guns. Assault rifles are not legal I think. There are no competitions with them, so you have no reason to buy them.
The rules are strict. We only had one big "recent" shooting and I think it is at least 10 years ago. I like it.
Of course criminals stil have guns, but for a random guy who lost his job and want to take revenge it is neigh impossible to just buy an AK47 and shoot all his colleagues. Quite a safe feeling actually.
Very strict. Even if you HAVE connections, most of the time you're gonna get a pistol at best. It's easier to hire security agencies with AK47s than to get even say a shotgun. Very happy with this.
Czechia: To get a gun for self-defense, you need to get a permit, which includes mandatory training, tests and a psychological evaluation (which, from what I've heard, is not hard to get). You need to have a clean criminal record and they check your misdemeanors too (you may not be allowed to get a permit if you've had issues with public drunkenness for example). However, after that you can not only buy a gun but also are automatically allowed to concealed carry.
There are several types of permits and getting a permit for sports or hunting is slightly easier. You need to be 21 years old to get a self-defense permit, you can get a hunting or sports permit when you're 18 or in special situations (used under supervision) when you're 15. The permits last 10 years, but you can lose them if you get a criminal record. The gun permit registry is managed by the state police, so it's easy for them to check the validity of your license if they need to do so.
Gun violence is very rare, so I'm happy with this and see no reason to change it. The people that I know who have a permit (it's quite uncommon) are very responsible with it.
There are restrictions on which weapons a civilian can buy. No automatic weapons for sure, but I think you can get some semi-automatic guns with a suppressor (cause I've heard a guy recommending one such gun with sub-sonic ammo for potential home-defense, stating "if I really have to use it, there's no reason why my family should go deaf in the process", heh).
Dutch here. Gun laws are strict. Generally, only the police and military carry guns in public. To legally own a firearm without being in either the police or the military you need to be a member of a firing range/club type of deal iirc. And even then only senior members get to take their guns home with them.
There is gun related violence but it’s less of a problem because there’s few guns and they’re harder to come by. It does seem like gun violence might be increasing but I’m unsure if that is due to a few high profile cases and extra media attention or that it’s actually getting worse.
I like it this way. I personally have never felt the need to arm myself and I’m glad it’s mostly professionals that get to carry weapons. It’s not a perfect system and weapons do end up in the hands of the wrong people but it’s the exception more than the rule really.
They have mandatory service and many people choose the military service option.
As I understand it, they get basic training and then do annual service. Most people seem to enjoy this as they serve with people from where they grew up and hae a lot of fun (and beer).
Each of these people has a military rifle in their home (and uniform, etc) with live ammo. They are a standing army. A well ordered militia, maybe?
You often see them on the train in fatigues with their weapon on the way to training.
Austria: relativly strict:
you have to have a reason (hunting, self defense or sport). depending on the category of weapon a mental assessment could be necessary (not in case of hunting rifles only).
automatic weapons, explosives and some other weapons are not legal to own privately.
you have to securely store the weapon and need an extra permission for carrying - which is nigh unobtainable, even for active police. Transportation in a locked container and unloaded.
I've lived in the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.
Europe has gun laws which are of varying severity. AFAIK some places it's relatively easy to buy a gun, some ban handguns (because they're concealable), some ban larger stuff, some you'll need to store your gun at the ammo range, some you're not allowed to have ammo in the home, varying levels of background and mental health checks too. Some places you'd have a hard time finding a gun, visit Budapest and you'll come across ads for a day out in a tank + shooting stuff with an AK.
The main thing is that self-defense isn't really a thing and gun culture is often very low key. Outside (perhaps but not always) the police, mainly hunting and shooting at a club. Most people don't even care enough about guns, to know what the laws are where they live. Eg. plenty of guns in the UK countryside, but most British people don't know that because they're not hunters/farmers/clay pigeon shooters, and often assume they'd be harder to get a hold of than they actually are. Netherlands, Belgium and Germany also have plenty of gun shops, but most people are oblivious, because they don't really care. Might as well be a fishing shop.
IME gun control isn't really a political issue most places. Unless there's been a (exceptionally rare) mass shooting, I honestly don't think most people even have a fully formed opinion on gun control, so they'll likely just answer they're happy with the status quo.
I'm from NZ. I was very surprised to learn that our gun laws were quite lax up until the relatively recent mosque shooting in Christchurch - the assault-style weapon the shooter used was quite legal, including the special modifications he had made to make it better for killing people.
in the wake of that tragedy, things have gotten a lot stricter, though I'm afraid I can't provide specifics - while I love guns, my collections are confined to the virtual, and I really have no interest in owning one IRL.
Sweden: you can apply for a licence from the police for target shooting if you're an active member of a club, or a hunter if you have passed a hunters exam (like drivers license basically). You'll have your criminal record checked.
Either way the gun must be suitable for the purpose. Shotguns and hunting rifles are not very hard to get. If your criminal record is clean and you've got the hunters exam you'll probably be granted a licence for up to 4 hunting rifles/shotguns with the only question being if you have a large enough gun safe. You'll get to keep them forever unless you're convicted of a crime. (There is a debate right now if doctors should tell the police if someone is unsuitable, the argument against is that people would not go to the doctor if they suspected they could lose their guns)
Hand guns are harder to get and the license needs to be renewed every few years and you've got to prove that you are actively hunting/target shooting.
Magazine size for semi automatic is limited. Length of rifles and shotguns are regulated as to not be easily concealable.
All firearms must be stored in a heavy safe when not used. You're not allowed to carry it around town.
As for my opinion as a hunter it's not excessively burdensome to get your license. The time delay has been due to under staffing rather than the laws itself. I do take issue with the "suitable for purpose" as they can arbitrarily deny you a licence because it "looks" like a military rifle.
Canadian, not a gun owner but here's the gist: To have guns you need a license and a clean criminal record which is automatically checked so long as you are registered to use them (the PAL). If you are convicted of violent or weapon related crime, you lose privileges. The license has a 28 day mandatory waiting period. Canadian gun owners are free to fact check or clarify this for me.
Once registered can use most long guns, shotguns as they are non-restricted for hunting and typical activities like that (of course you'll need to be registered separately to publicly conduct that activity). Restricted and prohibited weapons like handguns, semiautomatic and automatic weapons can only be possessed or acquired for people who use it as specifically necessary for their occupation, someone who does target practice as part of a registered club (restricted only), collectors knowledgeable on the series of equipment and certain exemptions for old hand-me-downs. Any time you move these categories of firearms to another location, legally you need to fill out a form and notify authorities.
Illegal firearms often show up here after being smuggled from across the border, where they seem to give them out like candy in comparison.
As a native commonwealther, guns are legally a no, but that offers no protection from those who would end up getting one.
Something that bugs me is... weapons wouldn't be needed for defense if booby traps were legal, but those have even less legality in the world than guns, almost as if the whole goal is to make things hard.
There was compulsory male military service, that would be the only place where you could "handle" military grade hardware, aka assault rifles.
Currently IIRC, guns are accessible if: you're a military or law enforcement agent, a hunter (rifle or shotgun) or go through a process for a fire arm license due to professional or business reasons (e.g. a goldsmith) for self-defense.
As well hand guns are limited to "non-military" calibers... for instance 9mm is for government agents solely.
Of course there's black market and use by shady actors...
As for people's personal relationship with guns, most people doesn't care to have one as there's not much violent crime to justify said behavior.
@Goldmage263@sh.itjust.works in Europe gun ownership is largely illegal. You can get a permit but it need to be approved by the police and the gun you can buy is of limited firepower, like a pistol or something like that. You can also get hunting licenses and that is about it.