Search results for query: *

We have limitations on the number of firearms and on the amount of ammo, and we also have an odd ban on 9mm luger semiauto pistols (revolvers and carbines are fine), which are reserved for police use. That's why the most popular caliber in Italy is 9x21, an almost exact replica of 9x19, with a...

You mean, now? You need a gun license, and guns must be registered. Getting a hunting or sporting license isn't that difficult, you need a clean legal record and a certificate from your doctor. Those licenses however don't allow you to carry a gun for self defense. Getting a CCW permit is very...

I don't know about the state of private gun ownership at the time (the Fascists took power in 1922), but I know that the current Italian license and registration system was first introduced in 1926. Until then, guns could be bought without formalities, although carrying a handgun still required...

Definitely, mainly because gun manufacturing is an important part of the economy here, although most of the production gets exported. Also, our laws have become more gun friendly in the last couple of years, though they are still difficult to understand and even more difficult to apply. Bye, Goerz

I can offer the perspective of an Italian gun owner, if you are interested. In Italy we have a license and registration system. In order to buy any firearm and ammunition you need to be licensed. We have three kinds of license: self defense (CCW), hunting, and sporting. Any license will allow...

Sorry if this topic is not relevant to the US gun rights debate, but I thought that American gun owners, which constitute the most important market for Italian gun manufacturers, should be informed about this. I’m an Italian gun owner and enthusiast and I’m a member and activist of our gun...

The "ban" you're talking about only refers to firearms chambered in calibres currently used by the Italian military. Even then, civilian versions of those military calibres are allowed (e.g. 9x21 instead of 9x19). Once a calibre is dismissed from military use, it becomes available for civilians...

An update: Mauser Kar. 98K 8x57, Russian capture. In my "grocery list" for 2011: Zastava M76 sniper 8x57, Mossberg 500 pump action shotgun.

Just a little update, I bought this beauty yesterday: S&W 686-3 .357 Magnum with a 6" barrel. This gun is at least 20 years old. I can't wait to test it at the range tomorrow night! Regards, Goerz

The rifle is indeed a 6.5x55 Carl Gustaf M96, or Swedish Mauser, manufactured in 1910. Woods and barrel are in excellent conditions, and it shoots very well. The handguns are, as you correctly said, a 9x21mm CZ 75 SP-01 and a .45ACP Kimber 1911 Stainless Target II, with replacement wood grips. I...

I own just a small collection, but I'm very proud of it: Regards from Italy, Goerz

I wholly agree with your considerations, CCW really is a privilege. I don't see CCW open to any citizen becoming a reality any time soon in Europe, and the public opinion isn't on our side. But there is a large support, at least in Italy, for the use of firearms for home defence, and that give...

You don't need to be on the hitlist of the mafia to get a CCW permit in Italy (in those cases we're talking about big shots that are usually assigned an armed escort), but you need to have a "valid reason" to carry a pistol. Criminal lawyers, credit collectors, people who carry large amounts of...

The law operates not only in your home, but also on your workplace. A jeweller recently killed a violent robber in his shop with a .22lr pistol with no legal consequences. The law was introduced by the Berlusconi government in 2006, because the previous formulation led judges to convict the...

Well, that's not entirely true. Italy introduced the "castle doctrine" in its legislation in 2006 (before that, you could only defend your life, not your properties with a firearm). We have a system of licensing and registration, but it's always been perfectly legal to keep guns at home for self...

A little update on my most recent purchase: Kimber Stainless Target II .45 ACP. My first 1911! Regards from Italy, Goerz

Impulse purchases of firearms are possibile elsewhere too, for example Italy: I bought a Kimber Custom Target II .45 ACP on a whim last week. We also don't have to wait, you pay and exit the shop with your gun. The BIG difference is that first we need to obtain a firearm license and that we...

Thank you for clarifying that, I wasn't aware of this severe limitation to self-defence in the UK, this law seems totally unreasonable to me. Here in Italy we can keep firearms ready to be used for home defence and some can carry concealed handguns for the same purpose (that kind of permit is...

Not really a collection, just the only firearm I own for the moment (I just recently became a gun enthusiast): my CZ-75 SP-01 Shadow 9x21. Greetings from Italy, Goerz

There are several shooting ranges in Tuscany, in Italian they are called TSN (Tiro a Segno Nazionale), they can lend you firearms and sell ammo. You can find a list here, with contact details: http://www.uits.it/sezioneDett.asp?regione=Toscana&codReg=16 In order to use the range, you...