this post was submitted on 13 Nov 2023
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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.
Gun-related violence is going up because all violent crime is going up. Most Dutchies still underestimate how much of an influence organized crime has become, almost all of it narcotics related.
That said, due to strict gun laws most violent crime happens with knifes, and worryingly increasingly with explosives.
Apparently a 6% increase in crime in 2022 it seems. I suppose violent crime would have increased as well.
As for knives and explosives, that’s bad enough for me an I’m quite content to not add more firearms to that mix as.
Several Dutch people told me that firearms are common on ships under the Dutch flag. Given the number of people owning sea-worthy vessels this might be interesting. Do you know anything about this?
Haven’t heard about that but I think ships sailing under a Dutch flag would be treated as Dutch territory for law purposes. Harder to enforce when you’re on the high seas though. And I’m not sure percentage-wise there’s a disproportiona number of Dutch people that own seafaring ships. Most merchant ships would be owned by companies anyway and they’d probably frown upon that stuff.
Dutch merchant ships sailing through pirate infested waters might have armed guards (navy troops, mercenaries) I guess?
I think they may be telling you tall tales.
You are correct as far as I can recall what has been told to me by my friend who shoots for sport. Besides that I'd like to add that you can't hunt wildlife unless it's your job. And it's only for population control of various wildlife.
Also gun owners need to keep their guns and ammo in two different safes. The police can check if you're complying to that anytime.
To get a permit they will do a background check on you. My friend got questions about him looking up 3d models of guns online. But he was only looking for fantasy weapon replicas for cosplay reasons.
Furthermore, bullets are as illegal without a gun permit as the guns themselves.
You can only take your gun with you when you are on your way to a range or back home from a range. And not within easy reach.
Owning airsoft weapons requires a club membership to the national airsoft league.
Lastly it's national news anytime a police officer fires their gun. It's that rare.