Taking a Shotgun to Bahamas from US and Back

[natraps116]

With All the countries I visited, it was routine business declaring the weapons. Internet third hand anecdotes rules this forumn when it comes to firearms aboard I'm afraid. Colombia,cuba,cayman,honduras,panama,bahamas,Guate mala. ...all easy to get in and out with guns aboard. That's first hand fact right there.

Sent from my SM-P550 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[amytom]

As such, I think every woman should be encouraged to have a pistol for her protection, in her purse, and from what I have seen, women can quickly become excellent and safe shots.

And all able bodied veterans should be encouraged to continue to serve in the same manner. Protect your fellow citizens.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Ribbit]

That great lady, Lyudmila Pavlichenko (she became a friend of Eleanor Roosevelt):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGYPnYfymEU

[Ribbit]

Originally Posted by amytom

And all able bodied veterans should be encouraged to continue to serve in the same manner. Protect your fellow citizens.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

I don't disagree. I have come to the conclusion that safe gun handling and marksmanship should be taught at school like they once were (as they still are in Switzerland, for example).

I am sure it will happen too. but unfortunately, it will probably be after a tragedy on the grand scale., and I can already see it beginning to come into play, for example after the Paris massacre.

People that were there, anti-gun people, are beginning to ask how many lives could have been saved, if some there had been in the position to shoot back. By the time the Police got there, it was far too late, for far too many people. It is the people on the scene that are the real first responders, but they have to be in a position to be able to respond (which is the Head of Interpol's point, confirmed yet again).

I did try pistol shooting after being shot at, and also went into rifle shooting (because I couldn't hit the side of a barn from inside the barn, with a pistol).

I just can't understand the hysterical and irrational fuss about inanimate objects any more, to be honest. You can put a loaded gun on the ground for an indefinite period, and it will never shoot anybody. We are pretty much allocating 'Juju Doll' type magical powers to guns, and I think this is badly contributing to victims doing the wrong things when they are attacked.

[Simonsays]

Originally Posted by natraps116

With All the countries I visited, it was routine business declaring the weapons. Internet third hand anecdotes rules this forumn when it comes to firearms aboard I'm afraid. Colombia,cuba,cayman,honduras,panama,bahamas,Guate mala. ...all easy to get in and out with guns aboard. That's first hand fact right there.

so how was Mexico?

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Simonsays

so how was Mexico?

Well he didn't list it for a reason

Let me try to sum it up again: cruising with a gun sucks, takes more time with formalities and can become costly when you need to throw it overboard for some countries and buy new again.
That said, cruising without a gun and getting raped and killed sucks as well. Maybe justtay safe at home

[Lizzy Belle]

Originally Posted by Ribbit

As such, I think every woman should be encouraged to have a pistol for her protection

I could buy one, get a permit and carry it around. But if I use it on anyone who doesn't have a loaded gun pointed at me, I'm off to jail for murder or attempted murder. Granted, Dutch jail is a lot 'nicer' then most, but really ... I'd rather not go at all.

Even if I'm at home and someone breaks into my home and I end up killing or seriously injuring them NOT using a gun, I could very well end up in court myself and find myself doing time and/or having to pay damages to said criminal. And chances are pretty good they're not carrying, since guns (even illegal ones) aren't as common here. Your average 'common criminal' (burglars, rapists and all those nice people) here likely do not have a gun.

"Excessive force" - that law sucks when it comes to your rights to defend yourself, your home and family. There are plenty of cases where people here found themselves in court being accuses of using excessive force when trying to defend their homes or family.

I disagree with our limited rights to self defense, but sadly, the law doesn't care if you agree ...

The Netherlands isn't the only country, by far, where you can't just use whatever force or weapon to defend yourself. So telling people (women or men) they should carry a gun no matter where in the world they are might not be the best advise - in my opinion anyway.

Originally Posted by Strait Shooter

So going to jail for murder is worse than being raped and killed?

Plenty of countries have jails that yes, I would consider 'a fate worse then death'.

I'd rather deal with being raped at home, surrounded by friends and family, then from jail ... Provided I survive, more then enough has been taken from me already. I don't want to sacrifice my freedom as well.

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by Ribbit

I just can't understand the hysterical and irrational fuss about inanimate objects any more, to be honest. You can put a loaded gun on the ground for an indefinite period, and it will never shoot anybody. We are pretty much allocating 'Juju Doll' type magical powers to guns, and I think this is badly contributing to victims doing the wrong things when they are attacked.

I 100% agree. Guns don't worry me one bit. I've enjoyed the times that I've been to a shooting range firing various pistols If I lived in a place where gun ownership was easily accessible, then perhaps my house would have a gun safe and a Glock and a couple of other handguns.

However I have no desire lo live in a place or be anchored in a harbour near people who feel the need to have a gun for protection.

[natraps116]

Originally Posted by Simonsays

so how was Mexico?

Didn't go. As pointed out. Follow the rules. And you won't have issues

Sent from my SM-G386T using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Jdege]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

I could buy one, get a permit and carry it around. But if I use it on anyone who doesn't have a loaded gun pointed at me, I'm off to jail for murder or attempted murder. Granted, Dutch jail is a lot 'nicer' then most, but really ... I'd rather not go at all.

I can't speak to keeping guns on boats, or to the laws of various nations, or even the risks that cruisers might or might not face, in different places around the world, but to this I can speak.

My state passed a shall-issue carry permit law in 2003. I obtained my first permit within a month of the statute taking effect, and have carried regularly, since. My state requires a class before obtaining a permit. I obtained the certification necessary, and taught carry permit classes for a number of years.

In all of this, I have a few pieces of advice I offer, when the topic comes up.

1. If there is someplace you might go, where you wouldn't feel safe without a gun, go someplace else. Carry a gun to deal with situations you can't avoid, not as an excuse for not avoiding situations you should have.
2. If you do shoot someone, say goodbye to your house. Even if you are fully justified and are exonerated by the legal system, you're still likely to face tens of thousands of dollars in legal bills.
3. If it's not a situation where you'd not be able to tell yourself, even if you were convicted, that pulling the trigger was the right thing to do, if the crime you were trying to stop was not of sufficient severity that you'd not consider spending the rest of your life in prison a better choice than letting it proceed to completion, then you shouldn't have pulled the trigger.

[Lizzy Belle]

Originally Posted by Jdege

In all of this, I have a few pieces of advice I offer,

Very sound advise, in my opinion anyway

I have no plans on getting a gun or any kind of fire arm; not while still living (on my boat) in the Netherlands and not when cruising. I shall for ever be without fire power

[Brewgyver]

Originally Posted by hoppy

I 100% agree. Guns don't worry me one bit. I've enjoyed the times that I've been to a shooting range firing various pistols If I lived in a place where gun ownership was easily accessible, then perhaps my house would have a gun safe and a Glock and a couple of other handguns.(snip)

Hoppy, you DID live in a place where gun ownership was easily accessible.

[s/v Jedi]

For sports shooting, we have, like before, turned to a nice .177 S&W 586 revolver which is legal in many places as it uses a CO cartridge

[seahag]

If you like guns, there is no better place than Alaska. I am amazed at the lack of gun laws here, and it pretty much works. People tend to behave here, don't do road rage, don't pull intimidating crap, don't mouth off. Why? it's an armed society, and you might just get yourself shot.

For me, it is good to be a sportsman here with the lax gun laws, as the seasons for hunting are really long if closed at all, personal defense is a given, and if I need to shoot a 200 pound halibut to calm him down, I can do that with a readily accessible firearm. We have a lot of large, dangerous game that can kill you quickly here. Having a weapon may or may not save your life, but without it you would have almost no chance in a serious encounter with a determined bear or moose, other than what they want to do with you. And they are a possibility any where I go here, except possibly on my boat. Many times I have been in a situation where they just suddenly appear, and very close! Lucky for me I'm kind of scrawny and don't give dirty looks to moose, haha.

The whole point is, it may not be for everybody but our frontier aspect allows for some great freedom that 99 percent of those who think and talk and post about guns have never been able to feel at all. I'm all for responsible gun use and safety is very important. Having access is a good thing for me, here. It probably would not work in a large amount of the rest of the world but in Alaska it is business as usual, a way of life. For a couple years I open carried a .44 Magnum on my chest while canoeing, camping, hiking, fishing, etc and came across many people. Never once did anyone question me or act horrified, or act odd in any way. I did try to hide it so kids wouldn't see the weapon but the ones who did never said anything either. It is so common and expected.

People are pretty nice here. If they aren't being nice, they sure aren't being outright jerks. I think there is a connection to their behavior being modified and passified by the armed public. That's a theory but I've never noticed it anywhere else and I've been around quite a lot.

Anyway, someday I will be sailing off to warmer seas, and would hope to be able to take along some arms for protection. I have been in a situation that was pretty scary in a different country, when fishing. Our boat was circled by natives in a much more powerful, faster boat. They looked pretty scary as my father and I did not have any means of protecting ourselves. There were 5 of them and two of us, and we were at their mercy. They circled our boat about 7 or 8 times, slowly and getting closer, watching us. I was pretty nervous. I bent down to open the lid of a hatch and get out some tools and a boat hook and while I was down they decided to motor off. I think we were really close to being victimized in some way, and we would never have been heard from again and could have completely disappeared as there was no one else around for many miles. That situation has remained in my memory and if you've ever been that kind of fearful for your life, it may change your thoughts about guns.

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by Ribbit

I don't disagree. I have come to the conclusion that safe gun handling and marksmanship should be taught at school like they once were (as they still are in Switzerland, for example).

Great point!

I think there are gun nuts, who, while trained, are just nuts. I think there are anti-gun nuts, who, while ignorant, are also just nuts. Neither one worries me much.

But there are people with guns out there who have a) never been trained b) are idiots or c) both of the above. And they always nudge me towards the licensing/banning guns side.

Training should be mandatory if we are going to allow/encourage guns in our societies. I should not have to deal with frickin' idiots popping out of the tree line by my vegetable garden waving a rifle capable of sending a bullet a couple of miles. And I shudder to think what the same idiot would be like with a handgun. It's like giving a Ferrari to a beginner...you are just asking for trouble

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2l6nk7pMQ0