In article ,
"Steve Lusardi" wrote:

Dennis,
Be very careful accepting advise from those that do not experience
international sailing. Their advise is not worth the bit space it arrived
on. Piracy today is actually a bigger problem than it has been at any time
in history. There have been numerous articles written in the press about
this problem for more than 20 years. In fact, there are very few safe
cruising areas worldwide. The causes of the problem are numerous, but drug
running is probably the most common with abject poverty being a close
second. There are some undisputable facts like, if you encounter a problem,
there will be no assistance. You cannot just dial 911. There is nobody home.
You are on your own. You should carry multple levels of defence, like common
sense, water cannons, mace and lastly firearms. All of those have zero value
without adequate training and ongoing practise. That said, guns are like
trucks and umbrellas, when you need one, you never need a little one. If you
have something and do not need it, you can throw it away. If however, one is
required and you don't have one, use your imagination. Please remember your
enemy for firearms is not the person, it is his engine. Never allow
strangers on board. Practise do diligence. Always maintain a deck watch. On
a practical note, when carrying firearms and you are entering a foreign
country always follow maritime rules. Do not initially find dock space. Drop
your hook, go ashore in your dingy and inprocess. Fly the correct flags.
Always declare your weapons and follow the advise of the authorities. Crimes
are punishable. Following the law is not a crime. You might lose your guns,
but not your freedom.
Steve


Very good advice......I suspect that the above poster actually knows
what a Customs Locker is, and what it is used for....... Every Commercial
Vessel I have ever been on had one, and upon entering any Port of Call,
it was used, and secured, as per International Convention. If only more
folks were more knowledgeable about such things, we wouldn't be subjected
to "Hip Deep Bull****" when this subject arises.....


Me one who has sailed, and lived to tell the tales......

I wonder if the different attitude to carrying guns is mainly
cultural.

US citizens with their history of the war of independence and the
reliance on minutemen and a citizen army with often their own weapons
have a different attitude than say, New Zealanders whose police do not
carry guns. They can carry a baton and had a special trouser pocket
for doing so but most did not wish to be encumbered by its weight.
N.Z. has a law that compels any citizen to come to the aid of a
policeman if he calls for help or if he is being attacked. The penalty
for not doing so is a possible prison term.

We used ex WW2 .303 calibre rifles as kids for shooting pigs, deer and
goats in our bush/forests which are classed as pests and it was
relatively easy to get a licence for a rifle once you turned 16 but
definitely not for handguns or automatics.

Just a thought - not