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LadyConstanze -> RE: Are the British more law abiding than Americans? (1/1/2011 10:14:57 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: flcouple2009
My understanding from my German friends is that Germany is one of the easiest places in Europe to own a gun and many of them do.
The way it was explained to me is that the easiest way to get a license is under the provision for Sport Shooters. Whether you get a yellow card or green depends on the type of weapon. There was nothing difficult to complete only time consuming.
You have to complete a gun course which they described as taking 2 to 4 evenings and then take a multiple choice test. That is followed by a practical exam showing that you can handle the weapon in a safe manner.
The time consuming part is where you must show that you have been "regularly and successfully" practicing under the rules of an approved shooting association. They explained that to me as finding a Shooting Club that you fit in with and going practice a couple of times a month. It was also pointed out to me that the Shooting Clubs were easy to find as there are over 30 just in the Stuttgart area.
You've joined as club and become a sport shooter. That fulfills the need portion. A license for hunting or a license to carry are both much harder to come by but the sport shooters license is pretty easy. There are a lot of 12 year old Americans who could qualify.
The whole idea that Europeans don't like guns is a myth. Like everything else, some do and some don't. There is a huge gun range in Orlando right in the middle of the tourist area. It does huge business with the European tourist. It might be the only time some of them leave Disney property. They love renting the automatics and big calibers and banging away.
I think you may want to check with your German friends again, because even as a sport shooter you are not allowed to take your weapon outside of the club or home, in fact by law the guns (and we are not talking pistols but sport riffles) have to be securely locked up, there is a reason why it's quite an expensive sport, simply due to all the security precautions. How would I know that? My parents live there and one of my father's friends is a member in one of the shooting clubs, and before your accepted you have to go through a background check (which you pay for yourself) to show you have never had any run ins with the law. I once went with him to practice and had to hand over my passport, since he vouched for me I was allowed to fire his weapon but only with training ammunition...
In certain clubs people were allowed (under provisions) to take the weapons home but had to show beyond doubt that they are kept safe there, which means a locked gun cupboard that will make it impossible for a burglar to open. But that is changing too since one woman lost her mind and started shooting...
I think somebody told you a bunch of lies. Your idea that it's easy to have guns in Germany is "cute" but unfortunately very inaccurate.
ETA: Maybe your friends were talking about air-riffles? Those don't require much of a license but aren't really the same as guns, the targets are usually from paper or clay because they simply couldn't penetrate something hard.
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