Guns on a Boat, Yes or No?

[jeanathon]

Originally Posted by sneuman

If you gave this thread an enema, you could bury what's left in a matchbox.

This post doesn't even need the enema.

[ontherocks83]

Has anyone declared in the Bahamas?

This is from noonsite.com
If you have a firearm on board (shotguns and handguns only) you must declare it with Bahamian Customs. You must provide the serial number, name of the manufacturer, plus an exact count of ammunition

I'm not sure if that means that is all you can bring in, or if that is all they will allow you to keep on board while in country. Can you have other types but have to surrender them for the duration of your stay?

[crazyoldboatguy]

Don't feel obligated to read this stream, sneuman. Certainly, no one is forcing you to, are they? Change the channel - it's easy.

[zeehag]

from what i have seen, heard, and learned, most attacks on boats, aka unwanted and uninvited boardings, have been by folks without weapons, seeking whatever they can sell from your stash of riches, and under cover of darkness.
as you have a boat and they donot, and they think you are wealthy beyond your means, then you are a target.
targets are boarded at night when sleeping hours are happening, and no sounds are heard on boat.
the bestever protection seems to be preventative rather than offensive and aggressive.\
spreader lights that are motion sensitive. light- intruders flee.. they do not wish to be identified. or a critter that warns y eof approaching folks and allows time to turn on spreader lights as a deterrent....
loud sounds and bright light. back it up with a baseball bat or gaff or some such.
all weaponry is able to be removed from your hands and used against you. doesnt matter who ye are.
most invasions happen in darkness, and are silent until someone inside boat awakens and makes a noise.
guns are not the answer.
in many places you will travel, ownership of a gun is act of war.
be real be safe and avoid the bs.
we are visitors in someone else's land. we are not in the right. when the base of law is guilty until proven innocent, one must consider the problems caused by lack of understanding of the culture of the locale visited.
is not usa.
you are not in your own home. your home might be in a nic e bay, bu tthat is not home. you have no "rights" in foreign to you waters.
when and if you are invaded, as has been learned by those who have been, you do not have time to plan a protection method.
you are awakening out of a sleep.
allow the material goods to be removed. you have a credit card--buy new.
is risking your life and freedoms worth the carrying of contraband into other places --places in which these are not usable without prison terms--and you do not want to be incarcerated in another country other than usa...just talk with the marine who tried to merely turn his car around in mexico with a hand gun in his trunk...........
talk with the deceased souls who were awakened and tried to protect their possessions while invaders were robbing em blind..
and dead....
is your stuff worth your life????
is your stuff worth your loss of freedomn?????
might be something to consider when travelling.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by ontherocks83

Has anyone declared in the Bahamas? ...

Excerpted from:
Bahamas Statutes
CHAPTER 213
FIREARMS
Part II
6.
Nothing in this Part of this Act shall be deemed to relate to the possession of a revolver by a person, other than a resident of The Bahamas, belonging to or on board of any foreign vessel arriving at any port therein, during the period of three months following the arrival of such vessel at her first port of call on any visit to The Bahamas, provided that —
(a) no such person brings the revolver on shore;
(b) no such person uses the revolver while in the territorial waters of The Bahamas; and
(c) such person makes, in the prescribed form, a declaration of his possession of any such revolver to a proper officer of customs or an Out Island Commissioner at the first port of call in The Bahamas within forty-eight hours of the arrival of the vessel.

Page 37 ➥ http://www.unlirec.org/documents/car...chapter213.pdf

[ontherocks83]

Thanks GordMay, but I'm still a little confused by that. Can you only have pistols and shotguns when you declare or are the residents restricted but I can have anything as long as it is declared and stays locked on board?

[Draikhyan]

I used to have a .50 caliber machine gun mounted on my boat to scare off the wrong kind of people.



But it got stolen one night.

[sneuman]

Originally Posted by crazyoldboatguy

Don't feel obligated to read this stream, sneuman. Certainly, no one is forcing you to, are they? Change the channel - it's easy.

Oh, I'm interested. It could be my problem some day if I pull into an anchorage right after some other yahoo with an American incident has waved his weapon around (or worse) at a bunch of fishermen trying to sell their catch.

I suppose it's only a matter of time.

[a64pilot]

Zee,
You have many good points, and I agree. If you have any concern with security you have the obligation to have some kind of alarm, you should have some kind of barrier to prevent entry and maybe a non lethal form of defense as well.
Resorting to a firearm as your only means of defense is unconscionable (my opinion)

It's like saying I have an EPIRB, I don't need life vest, fire extinguishers or manual bilge pumps, EPIRB and firearm are last resort things, after all else has failed.

I think in this thread small cheap IR alarms were shown as well as an excellent grate in the companionway? May have been another thread?

[crazyoldboatguy]

sneuman,

Yep, those darn Merkins screwing it all up for everybody else. Can't figure out why all of them have to go about waving the guns around all the time. Why I can't walk down the street in Chicago without every single person I see waving their guns around. It's gotten so I can't even go into a library without everyone pulling out their guns and shooting up the place. That's why I want to get out of the states - so's I'm the only one taking out my own guns and waving them around in peace.

Probably get deleted for that. But, hey, maybe you'll read it before it gets wiped out. I don't really know why the automatic assumption is that Americans who lawfully own weapons are seen as the source of danger when the reality is the opposite. Folks who lawfully own weapons in the US are, by definition and statistics, FAR more law abiding than pretty much everyone else. Other than spending time on this forum denigrating folks you don't know, please look into that information - google is a great thing.

[markpierce]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Makes me wonder why have them them.

Handguns are handy in close quarters, where most self-defense situations occur.

[ontherocks83]

Originally Posted by crazyoldboatguy

sneuman,

Yep, those darn Merkins screwing it all up for everybody else. Can't figure out why all of them have to go about waving the guns around all the time. Why I can't walk down the street in Chicago without every single person I see waving their guns around. It's gotten so I can't even go into a library without everyone pulling out their guns and shooting up the place. That's why I want to get out of the states - so's I'm the only one taking out my own guns and waving them around in peace.

Probably get deleted for that. But, hey, maybe you'll read it before it gets wiped out. I don't really know why the automatic assumption is that Americans who lawfully own weapons are seen as the source of danger when the reality is the opposite. Folks who lawfully own weapons in the US are, by definition and statistics, FAR more law abiding than pretty much everyone else. Other than spending time on this forum denigrating folks you don't know, please look into that information - google is a great thing.

+1

[IdoraKeeper]

I have lots of tools on my boat. Guns are tools. The problem is that the issue they are designed to fix is seriously unlikely to occur. For me it would be a waste of money. Taking guns out of the country into another country is difficult. Even sworn LEO'S are limited in when where and what they can carry. You will generate more trouble than you prevent. Far better to bring a deep fat fryer.

[GuidoY]

OK,
So the rest of the world doesn't share America's love of guns (unless we're shooting on their behalf). And we do have domestic gun issues, just not to the extent where a militia with a few beat up toyotas can take over an entire region (though I'll admit they are some well built trucks). Naturally we'd like to take our guns with us to protect ourselves if need be (though the need be very seldom, better to have and not need, etc.).

Here are a few solutions, but they do carry a bit of risk:

Firstly, a handgun is too small/inaccurate to repel pirates.
Solution: this handy rig converts your pistol into a rifle (but where do I put it when going to port?)



A watertight case, submersible to x00 feet to store and sink while still in international waters, before entering waters of your choice. Simply mark your location on your GPS and put an rf transponder in the case to get the exact location upon your return. This appeals to the tech-sailors, I know. Retrieval is on you (hence the risk part), maybe use a groovy remote control submarine, rope with a magnet on it (haven't really figured this part out yet).

Not into the gun thing but still want to ward off pirates? Torpedoes are your best option. Now, multihullers are all over this debate because a torpedo is easily disguised as a pontoon, "wasn't that a trimaran when you embarked?". But what about us monohullers? Simply install a new keel bulb (actually a torpedo, ssshhhh).


Obviously this carries it's own risks, but what is adventure without risk?

And there you have it, simple non-intrusive ways to protect yourself in international waters. God knows no one else will do it. But chances are 99.99% you'll sail without incident, as long as you are educated on where you are going.

Beers!

[crazyoldboatguy]

=== So the rest of the world doesn't share America's love of guns (unless we're shooting on their behalf) ===

+1!!!