What other countries allow their citizens to be armed and carry?

hibby76

New member
I'm just wondering what other countries have laws that allow their citizens to own guns and carry them if they choose. And I'm not interested in the lawless portions of the world like Somalia, Southern Colombia, or tribal Pakistan.

Right off the top of my head, I can't think of one. Nothing in Western Europe that I know of. Not Mexico. Not Australia. Anyway, thoughts?
 

I'm just wondering what other countries have laws that allow their citizens to own guns and carry them if they choose. And I'm not interested in the lawless portions of the world like Somalia, Southern Colombia, or tribal Pakistan.

Right off the top of my head, I can't think of one. Nothing in Western Europe that I know of. Not Mexico. Not Australia. Anyway, thoughts?
Link Removed

Republic of Minerva - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tonga put an end to that...
 
Switzerland restricts ammunition. Military service is mandatory, with all personnel keeping an automatic rifle in their home, but with a sealed pack of ammo. Shooting privately owned guns at gun ranges is totally accepted, but the gun remains at the range.
 
Despite repeated attempts by the left in this country to restrict our rights, The USA remains the lone country to legally allow concealed / open carry (dependeing on State laws).....to the best of my knowledge.
 
Israel.....How could I have forgotten!

Israel.

I was there over a decade ago, so perhaps things have changed. I remember having a conversation with a guy who had a pistol on his belt and an uzi on his back. He indicated that he often carried a shotgun as well. I'd be interested in finding out about CC vs OC there and if there are differences for Israeli citizens, Jews, Arabs, ex-military, Palestinians, and any other non-citizen.

Over there you see open carry guns all the time. A big part of that is because all of the youth have a mandatory military obligation and during those 2-3 years they have their weapons with them 24/7. It's funny to see a group of teenagers going out for ice cream and every one of them has an M-16 strapped to them.

Doing some reading now.......

Here's an interesting blog post by an Israeli guy who carries:
DoubleTapper: Questions From Readers

another brief summary:
Behind the Lines: Israeli Libertarian: Brief Summary of Israeli Gun Laws

This site indicates that It's really hard to get a permit if you're an Arab citizen of Israel
It also talks about the liabilities of gun ownership according to their laws and courts:
Question on Israeli gun law

and some more info. Slightly redundant, but it has more detail:
What are Israel's gun laws like? How do they regulate firearms ownership over there? - Yahoo! Answers

And finally, a few pictures that I think are interesting:
Israeli women and their guns
http://www.chinasmack.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/girls-carrying-guns-israel-jew-04.jpg
http://www.chinasmack.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/girls-carrying-guns-israel-jew-02.jpg
http://www.chinasmack.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/girls-carrying-guns-israel-jew-13.jpg

girls-carrying-guns-israel-jew-14 | chinaSMACK

http://www.chinasmack.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/girls-carrying-guns-israel-jew-14.jpg

I can attest that these images are pretty common place. You could get dozens of pictures like that on any Friday evening wherever students hang out.
 
In Israel, if you can carry it, you can carry it any way that you would like. However, it appears to be highly unacceptable culturally to conceal your firearm under normal circumstances.
 
Austria allows for it's citizens to own and possess firearms if they first obtain a license. Also, carrying a firearm on your person is allowed if you have a "Waffenpass" or permit to do so. There is a lot involved in obtaining a waffenpass and you have to have a "good" reason for needing one. The average Austrian won't be issued one just because they're a law abiding citizen who wants to carry a firearm.
 
Hibby76 beat me to it. I was going to mention Israel. I tried the link "girls with guns" and didn't get anything. Was that a picture of 2 girls eating ice cream at an ice cream shop while carrying UZIs or AK47s, or M16. That is something you probably won't even see in Arizona. I understand there is some former country in the USSR that allows concealed carry with a LTC. I remember reading about it and thinking they had more 2A rights than Illinoisans, can't remember the name.

I remember some time ago some Palestinian terrorists were going to go on a shooting spree in an market, I believe, in Israel. When they opened fire they were met by return fire by several citizens. The survivor said "I didn't know they'd have guns". They've solved their school shooting problem by arming the teachers. The terrorists now of course use bombs more often.
 
Hibby76 beat me to it. I was going to mention Israel. I tried the link "girls with guns" and didn't get anything. Was that a picture of 2 girls eating ice cream at an ice cream shop while carrying UZIs or AK47s, or M16. That is something you probably won't even see in Arizona. I understand there is some former country in the USSR that allows concealed carry with a LTC. I remember reading about it and thinking they had more 2A rights than Illinoisans, can't remember the name.

I remember some time ago some Palestinian terrorists were going to go on a shooting spree in an market, I believe, in Israel. When they opened fire they were met by return fire by several citizens. The survivor said "I didn't know they'd have guns". They've solved their school shooting problem by arming the teachers. The terrorists now of course use bombs more often.

Former country in the USSR? Maybe country in the former USSR, the country you probably mean is Estonia. We have the best selection of all Europe and many places in the US. Look it up - Link Removed.
 
South Africa allows open and concealed carry without permit. A go place to find information on carry practices of countries is at Gun Policy Facts and News Use the drop downs on the top left corner to select your country or region.
 
I was wondering that myself. With all the foreign gun makers, Walther, Beretta and more do they just sell to the police, military and American civilians? And their own people can't own guns?
 
Perhaps it's because we are the only country with a constitution that reads "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
 
In Europe: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Geogia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, and Serbia all have systems to allow private citizens to get a carry permit, some are harder to get than others.

Our neighbors to the north, Canada, you can get a permit to carry if you show cause.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, possibly other middle eastern countries also allow firearms for citizens and certain classes of foreigners (typically Contractors)
 
So to "justify" the "need" to carry, what does one do? After a fatal encounter is too late. The justification aspect seems to be the most common loophole for denying a carry permit, since the personal defense argument is typically not allowed as justification.
 
Canada carry

In Europe: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Geogia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, and Serbia all have systems to allow private citizens to get a carry permit, some are harder to get than others.

Our neighbors to the north, Canada, you can get a permit to carry if you show cause.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, possibly other middle eastern countries also allow firearms for citizens and certain classes of foreigners (typically Contractors)

I have been an active shooter in Canada since 1965. Additionally, I am a Justice of the Peace. Though the provision is 'on the books' to allow carry, in practice it essentially never happens. I have yet to encounter anyone who has been granted such a permit.
 

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