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Old 12-05-2022, 01:17   #1
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Bahamas Rules For Firearms On Board

My understanding in the past was that firearms were permitted to be locked on board after declaration and ammo accounting.

I recently read in the Waterway Guide to Bahamas 2022 edition that
Guns were not allowed over .308 caliber, max of 3, not permitted on center console boats. This would prohibit most popular handgun calibers such as 380, 9mm,40 cal, and 45

Have the rules changed? I have requested clarification from the Bahamas embassy in DC, who referred me to the consulate office, who has apparently not been able to reply to me for the last three weeks.

Any verifiable info out there? Any hints on who to ask?
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Old 12-05-2022, 01:29   #2
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Re: Bahamas Rules For Firearms On Board

I cannot help, with your query; but it reminds me of the old aphorism:
Give a man a gun, and he will rob a bank.
Give a man a bank, and he will rob everyone.
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Old 12-05-2022, 01:54   #3
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Bahamas Rules For Firearms On Board

Quote:
Originally Posted by pesarsten View Post
My understanding in the past was that firearms were permitted to be locked on board after declaration and ammo accounting.



I recently read in the Waterway Guide to Bahamas 2022 edition that

Guns were not allowed over .308 caliber, max of 3, not permitted on center console boats. This would prohibit most popular handgun calibers such as 380, 9mm,40 cal, and 45



Have the rules changed? I have requested clarification from the Bahamas embassy in DC, who referred me to the consulate office, who has apparently not been able to reply to me for the last three weeks.



Any verifiable info out there? Any hints on who to ask?


The assumption that firearms can remain on board post declaration is just that an assumption. The rules always allowed for confiscation or prohibition in the first place.

Calibre restrictions and prohibitions on large hand gun calibre’s are increasingly common outside the US

The best advice is to leave them at home. Way too much hassle and paperwork and you risk temporary confiscation so you end up not having the firearm on board anyway.
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Old 12-05-2022, 04:25   #4
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Re: Bahamas Rules For Firearms On Board

I’m Canadian so stupid question about guns expected.
Why would you need a gun in the Bahamas?
Shooting the fixed roulette tables won’t fix them.
I’ve watch the boarder TV show and some very angry Americans upset no handgun is allowed in Canada. I really don’t understand why you are not relieved. You just need a fishing rod here.
I’ve been all over Bahamas but it’s been a few years. Has there been a spike in crime in our commonwealth neighbour?
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Old 12-05-2022, 04:29   #5
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Re: Bahamas Rules For Firearms On Board

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Originally Posted by Rumrace View Post
I’m Canadian so stupid question about guns expected.
Why would you need a gun in the Bahamas?
Shooting the fixed roulette tables won’t fix them.
I’ve watch the boarder TV show and some very angry Americans upset no handgun is allowed in Canada. I really don’t understand why you are not relieved. You just need a fishing rod here.
I’ve been all over Bahamas but it’s been a few years. Has there been a spike in crime in our commonwealth neighbour?


Don’t prod the hornets nest. It’s a US thing, the need to feel armed at all times , like when shopping for groceries in Texas. ( seemingly an incredibly risky business given the number of open carries I’ve seen , maybe the Russians are on the outskirts of Houston or something

Sorry couldn’t resist a poke myself it is rather hilarious.
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Old 12-05-2022, 04:37   #6
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Re: Bahamas Rules For Firearms On Board

I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that their prohibition of calibers bigger than 308 doesn't actually include those handgun rounds because they're 'smaller.'

It's likely that someone who knows almost nothing about firearms decided that was a good enough cut off 'for safety.' As usual.

Of course, my assumption is not at all helpful so I'll be interested to hear what you find out.
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Old 12-05-2022, 04:50   #7
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Re: Bahamas Rules For Firearms On Board

You’re right. Sorry scratch that dumb question.
My bad
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Old 12-05-2022, 05:00   #8
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Re: Bahamas Rules For Firearms On Board

Foud some Bahamas entry paperwork left on the boat by the PO. He had a .45 cal pistol aboard and cleared it in through Bahamian customs / immigration apparently.
FWIW...
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Old 12-05-2022, 08:00   #9
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Re: Bahamas Rules For Firearms On Board

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Foud some Bahamas entry paperwork left on the boat by the PO. He had a .45 cal pistol aboard and cleared it in through Bahamian customs / immigration apparently.
FWIW...
Like many things in officialdom in the Bahamas I suspect your experience will vary wildly based on both the luck of thr draw of who you get clearing you in and their mood along with maybe their perception of you when you arrive. Especially since I think they officially have wide latitude on that. If you come in with two giant flags flying advertising your favorite U.S. politician with your own mini "boat parade" (yes, I have seen that more than once in the Abacos) and run into one of the guys whose memory is still fresh of the crazy America with a gun on his sailboat in GTC you may have them questioning your flare gun. If you are respectful and get the right person, as some have reported here, they might pass you on after you declare with no fanfare.
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Old 12-05-2022, 10:03   #10
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Re: Bahamas Rules For Firearms On Board

I know that it's very very hard for some people to withhold their feelings on gun ownership, or crazy gun addicted Americans, but please make a supreme effort to NOT give your opinions on these issues!

I'm asking what the current laws are, and if they have changed in the recent past. ONLY!
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Old 12-05-2022, 10:21   #11
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Re: Bahamas Rules For Firearms On Board

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Originally Posted by pesarsten View Post
I know that it's very very hard for some people to withhold their feelings on gun ownership, or crazy gun addicted Americans, but please make a supreme effort to NOT give your opinions on these issues!

I'm asking what the current laws are, and if they have changed in the recent past. ONLY!
I genuinely don’t mean this is a confrontational way. But you just pleaded with the entire community to NOT share their opinions while in the same post you characterize a group of people as crazy gun addicts. A lot of people would consider that language insulting and might then ignore an otherwise reasonable request to keep a controversial political topic off a message board where it really doesn’t have much place.
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Old 12-05-2022, 10:26   #12
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Bahamas Rules For Firearms On Board

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Like many things in officialdom in the Bahamas I suspect your experience will vary wildly based on both the luck of thr draw of who you get clearing you in and their mood along with maybe their perception of you when you arrive. Especially since I think they officially have wide latitude on that. If you come in with two giant flags flying advertising your favorite U.S. politician with your own mini "boat parade" (yes, I have seen that more than once in the Abacos) and run into one of the guys whose memory is still fresh of the crazy America with a gun on his sailboat in GTC you may have them questioning your flare gun. If you are respectful and get the right person, as some have reported here, they might pass you on after you declare with no fanfare.


This is the typically correct answer.

In most countries the local police or firearms authorities have a very wide range of options and decide on the spot to apply any combination of them depending on how you come across and on the day who you meet. They may access your gun safe , your reasons for having the firearm etc and decide appropriate measures.

Hence you can get a very wide variety of experiences and it’s hard to be precise. The fact is that firearms on board small leisure yachts are comparatively rare and hence there’s little body of experiences to draw upon.

Again , the most precise information that works every time is to leave the firearm at home.
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Old 12-05-2022, 10:32   #13
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Re: Bahamas Rules For Firearms On Board

Pre Covid in a Regatta in the US we were suddenly under attack by 3 American boats.
We made attempts to repel boarders but their fast load suction cup water balloon mortars were just too much for surgical tube launcher. Fortunately with a clear deck unencumbered by massive weaponry I made a quick escape and won that leg out of balloon range.
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Old 12-05-2022, 10:57   #14
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Re: Bahamas Rules For Firearms On Board

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Originally Posted by goboatingnow View Post
The assumption that firearms can remain on board post declaration is just that an assumption. The rules always allowed for confiscation or prohibition in the first place.

Calibre restrictions and prohibitions on large hand gun calibre’s are increasingly common outside the US

The best advice is to leave them at home. Way too much hassle and paperwork and you risk temporary confiscation so you end up not having the firearm on board anyway.
Prior to my asking for information on this site (because I knew the opinion storm regarding firearms would take over ) I went to the trouble of doing some research.

So here's my "Assumption"

Pursuant to the Bahamas Statute Law enacted 1969 and amended 1972
Sec 213 - Part II- sec 6
and
Sec 213 - Part VII sec 43-4

visiting vessels in custody of non-Bahamians are exempted from restrictions on possession when declared and locked on board. Please see page 34

http://laws.bahamas.gov.bs/cms/image...earmsAct_1.pdf

Yes the regulations are written into law, I just want to know if anyone has actual knowledge or experience , Not opinions.
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Old 12-05-2022, 11:15   #15
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Re: Bahamas Rules For Firearms On Board

Quote:
Originally Posted by pesarsten View Post
Prior to my asking for information on this site (because I knew the opinion storm regarding firearms would take over ) I went to the trouble of doing some research.

So here's my "Assumption"

Pursuant to the Bahamas Statute Law enacted 1969 and amended 1972
Sec 213 - Part II- sec 6
and
Sec 213 - Part VII sec 43-4

visiting vessels in custody of non-Bahamians are exempted from restrictions on possession when declared and locked on board. Please see page 34

http://laws.bahamas.gov.bs/cms/image...earmsAct_1.pdf

Yes the regulations are written into law, I just want to know if anyone has actual knowledge or experience , Not opinions.
I have a house in the Bahamas and have been through Bahamas customs many dozens if not hundreds of times. I have found that the letter of the law (which unless you're a Bahamian attorney I've found you almost certainly don't understand if you're relying on 5 minutes of Google searching) is one of the least important factors in determining what actions a customs official will take. And I can tell you that if I picked 5 "actual experiences" out of that and used them to generalize what your specific experience would be with the same fact pattern I would almost certainly be wrong, no matter if it involves what kind of gun you can bring or if you have to pay duty on the cordless tool set you bring in.

If that "actual experience" isn't what you want to hear, then please have the courtesy to let us all know in advance before we spend our personal time to craft a thoughtful answer in an attempt to be helpful. We can then give your questions the attention they deserve going forward.
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