this post was submitted on 13 Nov 2023
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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.

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[–] Rentlar@lemmy.ca 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

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.

[–] Pea666@feddit.nl 3 points 11 months ago (3 children)

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.

[–] sndrtj@feddit.nl 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

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.

[–] Pea666@feddit.nl 2 points 11 months ago

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.

[–] kennismigrant@feddit.nl 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

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?

[–] Pea666@feddit.nl 2 points 11 months ago

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.

[–] Sir_Fridge@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago

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.

[–] FireTower@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago

Here's a YouTube playlist talking about the gun laws in Malta, Russia, Canada (now outdated), South Africa, France, Sweden, & Estonia.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9e3UCcU00TR3nvqlRMsEuFAiOqr1WHV1&si=kZ4iTSVKp55XWkit

Tldr: Typically in other countries handguns are much more restricted than rifles. Plus many require good cause for ownership (like hunting).

[–] zxqwas@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago

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.

[–] V17@kbin.social 2 points 11 months ago

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).

[–] Narrrz@kbin.social 2 points 11 months ago

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.

[–] 6h0st_in_the_machin3@kbin.social 1 points 11 months ago

Portuguese here:

  • 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.

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