If you come to Australia, the Customs people will ask if you have
firearms aboard. Say yes and it's no drama, they'll take them off of
you and when you clear out of the country, they'll return them. I
believe they'll even transport them from your port of arrival to your
port of departure if given sufficient notice. I'd suggest having the
guns in lockable cases, then lock them in and have the Customs dudes
put a seal on when they take them away. Unless you have an Australian
firearms licence, you won't get to keep them in your possession. You do
*not* need firearms for defence against pirates in Australian waters.

Assuming you have a bonded locker aboard, I dunno. For a pleasure
vessel, I suspect they'd still take the guns. Maybe not the ammo if it
was locked up with a Customs seal. Ask.

I've owned guns all my life and legally I can carry guns on my boat, in
Australian waters, as I have a licence. I think that sailing with them
may well be more hassle than it's worth, if you're going foreign, and
probably wouldn't bother.

You decide. The Rugers are nice toys but if you bring them here and
don't declare them, you'll probably lose them, the boat, go to jail and
get deported. Much bigger risk than piracy, IMO.

PDW

In article .com,
twoguns wrote:

To Steve Lasardi and others with good advice,
Thanks. You can bet before we leave we will have a list of all the laws
and regulations of any places we plan to visit plus a skipper familar
with the ports we will visit. The dinghy idea is great. One of the
group has a large Zodiac that we are planning on taking, it should be
great for that purpose. Although all of us in the group have been in
professions that required extensive training in firearms use we are
recreational shooters more than anything else. Defensive use is just
secondary. I have been looking for an excuse to buy a couple of the new
Ruger Stainless steel handguns and rifles. Sal****er environment will
be just the excuse to justify that expenditure.
Dennis