Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 21-05-2015, 07:35   #1
Registered User
 
flyingdna's Avatar

Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Florida
Boat: Maxim Voyage 380
Posts: 9
Declaring Guns in Dominican Republic - Any reports?

Does anyone have recent experience with declaring and getting their guns back while visiting and leaving the DR?

I know that this is a hot topic and every one has their opinions on to have or not, to hide or not; i'm just asking for a report on how the declared gun process worked, or not.

Thanks

DAVE
flyingdna is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-05-2015, 17:51   #2
Registered User

Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 13
Re: Declaring Guns in Dominican Republic - Any reports?

Currently in Grenada, passed through the DR clearing in at Ocean World ( February2015) and cleared out in Punta Cana. Declared weapons and ammunition upon arrival, no issues at all. They asked if we had suitable security ( we have a gun safe aboard) and were completely professional and polite. Weapons stayed aboard during our time in DR. Different story, WEAPONS HAD TO BE PLACED IN THE CUSTODY OF THE LOCAL POLICE FOR THE DURATION OF OUR STAY but were returned when we checked out. Again, the authorities were professional and polite. It is there country, no issue with complying with their requirements.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum
www.pilotsdiscretion.com
pilotlawyer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 31-05-2015, 15:25   #3
Registered User
 
cheoah's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: North Carolina, USA
Boat: Big brick box and a '62 Airstream Ambassador. Formerly Pacific Seacraft
Posts: 1,017
Re: Declaring Guns in Dominican Republic - Any reports?

Hi pilotlawyer, I don't follow exactly. Firearms stayed on board in DR but different story was where?

Tnx-


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
cheoah is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-06-2015, 08:07   #4
Registered User

Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 13
Re: Declaring Guns in Dominican Republic - Any reports?

Sorry, an operator induced mistake in my IPad response. The different story was in the BVI, they required that all weapons and ammunition be personally checked in to the police department headquarters in Road Harbor. It took most of one afternoon to get all of the paperwork taken care of. We were in the BVI for about 6 weeks and when we left they very professionally returned our weapons with an inventory sheet that we all signed showing that we got everything back. It was a hassle but it worked as designed. That was inconvenient but tolerable with no horror stories associated. Hope that helps. Long story short is we are traveling with weapons to protect our family. Most of the places we have felt very safe but as we all know there is the potential to run across bad people anywhere you travel. It has created some inconvenience but in our judgement it is worth it. If you need weapons but don't bring them because of inconvenient requirements, you will wish you had put up with the hassle if an incident occurs when the bad guys show up and it is up to you to defend your boat and your family. At least that is our view. Hope my response is adequate


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum
www.pilotsdiscretion.com
pilotlawyer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-06-2015, 09:07   #5
Registered User
 
FSMike's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Bahamas/Florida
Boat: Solaris Sunstar 36' catamaran
Posts: 2,686
Images: 5
Re: Declaring Guns in Dominican Republic - Any reports?

Never have heard of anybody having trouble getting their weapons back in the DR.
Interesting anecdote, apparently once years ago (in Samana?) there was a rash of thefts from anchored boats. The policia had no success in catching the miscreants so the Harbormaster had a brilliant idea. He announced that he was returning all the guns to the sailors who owned them. Amazingly enough, all boat thefts stopped immediately.
__________________
Sail Fast Live Slow
FSMike is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29-10-2015, 17:02   #6
Registered User
 
happytogether's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Florida
Boat: Leopard 50 Catamaran
Posts: 41
Re: Declaring Guns in Dominican Republic - Any reports?

We just checked in and out of two ports in the Dominican republic with our shotgun it was easy and they were friendly. They took the gun off the boat and returned it to me when we left


Randy
S/V Happy Together
happytogether is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-10-2015, 00:19   #7
Registered User

Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Underway in the Med -
Boat: Jeanneau 40 DS SoulMates
Posts: 2,274
Images: 1
Re: Declaring Guns in Dominican Republic - Any reports?

Quote:
Originally Posted by pilotlawyer View Post
Sorry, an operator induced mistake in my IPad response. The different story was in the BVI, they required that all weapons and ammunition be personally checked in to the police department headquarters in Road Harbor. It took most of one afternoon to get all of the paperwork taken care of. We were in the BVI for about 6 weeks and when we left they very professionally returned our weapons with an inventory sheet that we all signed showing that we got everything back. It was a hassle but it worked as designed. That was inconvenient but tolerable with no horror stories associated. Hope that helps. Long story short is we are traveling with weapons to protect our family. Most of the places we have felt very safe but as we all know there is the potential to run across bad people anywhere you travel. It has created some inconvenience but in our judgement it is worth it. If you need weapons but don't bring them because of inconvenient requirements, you will wish you had put up with the hassle if an incident occurs when the bad guys show up and it is up to you to defend your boat and your family. At least that is our view. Hope my response is adequate


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum
pilotsdiscretiondotcom | Chronicling one family's dream of cruising the Caribbean in their own boat

I don't want to start a major WWIII debate here but pilotlawyer if you carry a gun to protect your family and you have to surrender your gun at each island and almost if not all boardings and problems occur at anchor what good is your gun??
Just wondering?
__________________
just our thoughts and opinions
chuck and svsoulmates
Somewhere in the Eastern Caribbean
chuckr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-10-2015, 04:37   #8
Registered User
 
happytogether's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Florida
Boat: Leopard 50 Catamaran
Posts: 41
Re: Declaring Guns in Dominican Republic - Any reports?

That's a good question Chuck and I'll answer it from my point of view. I'm happy to hand my guns over In port. my concern is not a nighttime boarding. I have bear spray and an awesome ghost alarm system that has 150 dB alarm siren and a strobe light in my cockpit with sensors so if somebody stepped on my boat all hell breaks loose. it gives me time to get my bear spray and probably they jump off anyway since they are just robbing. I'm not prepared for a gun battle and probably wouldn't Use it.

But last Tuesday in the Dominican republic I was offshore 20 miles and a " non fishing "boat with three men on it came straight for us we waive them off and they kept coming and finally they turned and went another direction. I kept saying to myself they are fisherman and they kept coming and pretty soon my wife grab my shotgun and I loaded it and had it in the cockpit and I was prepared to use it as a show of force so they didn't think they could just come get on my boat. It gave me great peace of mind again I'm not a guy who's prepared for a gun battle but it might've deterred somebody to think we are not any easy target. Four hours later we were in Samana handing our rifle to the commandante. I was fine with that.


Randy
S/V Happy Together
happytogether is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-10-2015, 12:11   #9
Registered User
 
flyingdna's Avatar

Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Florida
Boat: Maxim Voyage 380
Posts: 9
Re: Declaring Guns in Dominican Republic - Any reports?

HAPPY - I agree. From previous experience those fishermen were probably looking for a handoff from you to augment their income...

From a simplified approach, when you enter a territory's , you surrender your weapons if forbidden to posses, and agree to comply with their laws and thence gain protection from the law. When out in international waters, you are outside this protection but fall into a different level.

My feelings,
Dave
RODINA CAT
flyingdna is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-11-2015, 00:48   #10
Registered User

Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Underway in the Med -
Boat: Jeanneau 40 DS SoulMates
Posts: 2,274
Images: 1
Re: Declaring Guns in Dominican Republic - Any reports?

You might want to check Noonsite and Carb safety and security sites to see where the problems are.
We have seen the boats come up behind us also and really never really worried about them and we sailed both sides of the Caribbean. Also seen the same thing in the Med. but then again we are not paranoid and if I shoot someone I have no intention of spending the rest of my life in a foreign jail.
__________________
just our thoughts and opinions
chuck and svsoulmates
Somewhere in the Eastern Caribbean
chuckr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-11-2015, 08:02   #11
Registered User
 
Ribbit's Avatar

Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 664
Re: Declaring Guns in Dominican Republic - Any reports?

Whilst not being a nutter or paranoid (a friend's wife is an on call analyst for a 24/7/365 service that provides emergency diagnosis with sectioning powers, and knows if you are a nutter or not within 5 minutes of meeting you), as someone who HAS had the misfortune of being shot by a nutter (in 1989), I would not wish to condemn anybody to being as helpless as I was in that situation.

It took the Police over 18 hours to appear on the scene too (when asked why it took them so long to arrive when they are obliged to turn up within 15 minutes of the call being made, the response given - seriously - was "Well we didn't want him shooting at us too").

Better to be alive in prison working for your release, which should be easy with a genuine incident of self defence, rather than being dead with the nutter maybe, or maybe not, being in prison.

When you have been on the sharp end of a serious attempt to kill you, reality does tend to intrude on make believes and fluffy bunny and pretty butterfly LaLa Land "Wouldn't it be nice".

I'll take the Real World[tm] thanks.
Ribbit is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
Dominica, Dominican Republic, Guns, ports

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Crew Available: Any yachts in Dominican Republic - Puerto Rico in May? asamson Crew Archives 0 17-04-2013 05:29
AIS position reports but (almost) no Static reports? ngermain Marine Electronics 2 26-07-2012 18:07
Any Cheap Moorings in Florida or Dominican Republic ? captainteacup Atlantic & the Caribbean 2 21-08-2009 23:46
Hi, I'm a Spaniard Living in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Feregoskin Meets & Greets 5 02-12-2006 00:58

Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 22:35.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.