How difficult is it to legally own guns in Russia?
How difficult is it to legally own guns in Russia?
I spent about 10 days traveling through Eastern Europe with one of my former Principals. We visited, in turn, the Special Operations Forces of each country. Every one of them put on a dog and pony show, and every one of them included some variant of shooting a paper target while your team mate stood next to it, held it, etc. It was explained as "confidence building."
The best part was you could tell which teams my Principal trusted, as he would go down range and stand next to the target on some of the demos, not others...
I was most surprised when we had a similar UNANNOUNCED demonstration on the sniper range of a major ally's SOF training facility. We were getting an "overview" of the target array when a sniper in a hide fired a round over our heads, striking a "reactive" (explosive) target about 15 yards down range from where we were standing. All the Special Operators at least acted like it was no big deal. My outer perimeter guys were pretty freaked out, and it was one of the few times they went to guns in a friendly country until we got it all sorted out.
So, as much as I love to bash on the Russians, this is NOT a uniquely Russian exercise...
Originally Posted by TheNewbie
Worse than California or NY difficult.
A private person cannot own a handgun just 'cause. Gaming guns that we saw on that video are owned by clubs. I don't know if competitors can take them home or not to dry fire etc; I presume yes. I can't imagine they can get good as they are without it. If a person can prove the "need", he might be allowed to own a handgun. Proving the need requires at the minimum connections, but usually connections and money. I think that it is still not a private ownership, as most "need proofs" are "business-related" and guns are still owned by a business. Or you can buy anything you want on a grey market.
You cannot own a rifle unless you've owned a smoothbore for a number of years. Owning a shotgun requires an application process that involves photos, fees, police visiting your place, and doctor's statement. This info is current as of a couple of years ago.
Last edited by YVK; 12-13-2018 at 08:58 PM.
Doesn't read posts longer than two paragraphs.
Wow, that's rough!
How severely are the laws enforced, to your knowledge, against non criminals who buy on the grey market?
Thank you for your response.
I don't really know what's going on now. I left in mid-90s, it was a proverbial wild West then, or wild East, if you will. I don't know of any cases where people were nailed on gun charges alone. Criminals packed all the time. I was told that they carried a statement, refreshed daily, that they found that gun and were carrying it to police dept to surrender, which provided enough coverage during legal proceedings.
Doesn't read posts longer than two paragraphs.
Gotta love corruption. I guess it can benefit you at times.
"Confidence" or "Trust" drills are common in that corner of the world. For instance, it's not hard to find YouTube vids of balaclava-wearing Turks shooting targets their buddy is standing next to.
Still, when I see videos of people doing dumb stuff with guns, it's always a relief to turn up the volume and discover they're speaking foreignese and therefore unlikely to turn up on a range near me.
Similar to the idiots stateside, I wonder if people overseas reference the "Hoot picture" and respond with, "This is my safety" as a way to justify their derp.
"Are you ready? Okay. Let's roll."- Last words of Todd Beamer
This is still my favorite rendition of that...
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