What firearms can you legally purchase in a 3rd world country?

[USA]

I got a business contract from Kuwait and I was just wondering if I can simply purchase a shotgun for home protection.

[Don H]

I suggest that you contact the Kuwaiti embassy or a Kuwaiti consulate for the official scoop on current laws regarding firearm purchases by foreigners.

[ripnbst]

Kuwait is a cool place to live. If you don't mind intense heat, you will enjoy it.

[Tombstonejim]

The words legal and third world country do not compute.

You can go to the town market in Kuwait and but anything from a 100 year old black powder wall hanger to a 40 mm chain gun. The word legal does exist.

The most affordable/readily available will be some form of AK take your choice.

The same applies to Tanzania and Ziare. Unfortunately I have been to all of them.

In any of them a shotgun would not be my first choice.

And if you live inside the embassy compound there is no such word as legal.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Please do not suggest breaking the laws of a country.

If you have specifics, help the OP.

Contacting the embassy is the way to go.

Google also: http://www.muslimworldleague.org/pap.../page15-14.htm

[Creeper]

I don't understand the question myself... but perhaps I'm reading too much into it.
Is this a gun you'll buy and retain in a home in Kuwait only, or is this a gun you will buy and (want to) bring back into the US?

C

[ltc444]

Remember US Laws do not apply. I had a former boss who was 2 hours from execution for having an affair with a stewardess while in Kuwait. Fortunately, his company had an 'Insurance Policy" which got him out.

The laws are tricky and do not apply to foreigners.

Good Luck

[ripnbst]

Originally Posted by ltc444

The laws are tricky and do not apply to foreigners.

Good Luck

Uhh, yeah they do. You can't say " Well I don't live here so I'm not subject to your laws."

While you are there, their laws very much apply.

[FloridaVeteran]

I went through this exercise a couple of times when I was of working age. If, as it appears, you want the shotgun for personal protection while you are in Kuwait, you will have to have permission and may have to ask Kuwaiti authorities. However, since you should buy one only from a street-legal gun shop, the owners of the shop might be able to give you helpful information. It is not in their interest to sell to someone who is not authorized to buy or own. The HR or security office of your employer might be able to offer assistance.

If you will be in Kuwait City, you might find it much more modern, and the shopping much more sophisticated, than you expect.

Before you buy, also ask about how and when you can dispose of the shotgun when you depart Kuwait. Leaving it in the closet is not an option. Once, on a different continent, I went through the paperwork of buying a shotgun for self-defense. Even though it was a US-made Mossberg, I could not take it out of the country when I left, nor was I allowed to sell it. I gave it back, free, to the gun store from which I bought it and did not regret that - just a cost of doing business.

If you buy a firearm anywhere overseas and want to bring it back to the U.S., go to the BATFE or ICE website or just google for the proper US government web page. Even in the 70's it was a felony to import any foreign-made, foreign-acquired gun without declaring it properly. Today, it might be a felony to import even an American-made one without declaring it or shipping it in the prescribed manner, perhaps to an FFL dealer.

This is a lot different than shipping an already-owned-in-US hunting rifles to Africa and back again, though paperwork is necessary for that, too.

Finally, ask your Kuwait employer/sponsor if they have a policy about your owning a gun in the country. You do not want to get into any kind of difficulty and then find your employer unwilling to stand by you and you really don't want to buy one if it violates company rules.

Is there a reason you think you might need a shotgun? Violent crime against foreigners in that region is, or at least was, very rare except for terrorists and a shotgun isn't likely to help you a whole lot if terrorists target you and unless you're a retired SEAL or seriously-experienced combat veteran.

[TXAZ]

Having lived very near by for a couple of years, +1 for laws for "Ka-wa-gees" (foreigners) may be interpreted different than for locals. And connections are much better than being right or heavily armed. (It is not uncommon for traffic accidents to be decided by nationality or connections, I can tell you first hand.)

Kuwait is a fairly safe country, and personal affronts are dealt with pretty severely. You may be better off to make other accommodations, such as with the local cops or a security company than having a non-covert weapon, or get a 'get out of jail free' card (literally, they do exist)
than having a non-covert weapon.

Finally, unless you live on the coast, it's relatively dry, and a great climate 9 months of the year. If you try to learn a dozen basic phrases, you'll do more to protect yourself than having a full arsenal.


Marhaba! (Welcome) (and 'anna lee-set air-hobby-ah', "I am not a terrorist", in the signature line below)

[Glenn E. Meyer]

I think that will answer the question.

So closed.