Guns in Iceland?

[MatthewVanitas]

Completely random thought popped into my mind: what is the firearm scene in Iceland?

Cursory Google search indicates that they have no army, and cops are unarmed. Rifles are legal with permit, handguns banned. People apparently hunt reindeer, and a "6.5 to 8mm rifle is reccommended".

Doesn't Iceland have some kind of internal defense force, if not an army?

I just found myself randomly curious. We hear all the time about the gun-loving Swedes tracking down elg [moose] with their 6.5mm rifles, and those crazy Finns with their suppressors and subguns. Don't hear much about the Norwegians, but haven't really heard anything at all about Iceland in our discussions.

Anybody in Iceland, from Iceland, or just familiar with the firearm scene is Iceland?

I was initially curious as to what kind of firearms their military/paramilitary/self-defense forces use, but any info would help satisfy my boundless curiousity. Thanks all, -MV

 

[Ky Larry]

I was stationed in Iceland in 1973-74 while I was in the Air Force.I don't remember much about fire arms on the island but I do remember the Codfish War between Iceland and Great Britian. The dispute was over the claim that the British were over fishing the waters around Iceland. The Icelandic navy consisted of a fishing trawler with a machine gun mounted on it. Great Britain sent a representative to Iceland to negociate. They also sent the H.M.S. Prince of Whales and anchored her in the harbor in view of the capitol. Needless to say, the Icelandic government took the hint and came to a quick agreement. If I can find a picture of the battle ship I'll post it. I know I have some somewhere.

 

[Number 6]

Doesn't Iceland have some kind of internal defense force, if not an army?

According to the CIA World Fact Book Iceland's defense if provided by the United States.

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ic.html

 

[mete]

I remember that when Pres Reagan had the summit meeting in Iceland the police there carried HK P7s. That was a rare tv view of a P7.

 

[Matt G]

Not Iceland, but discovered by Leif Ericson, the son of Eric The Red, (Iceland)

There was a time, about 13 years ago, when a college buddy of mine and I had read PC Globe, and found that Greenland's economy was primarily agricultural, and that agriculture was based upon reindeer farming, primarily, with a small but significant portion of the exports being polar bear hides. We planned to save up, go to Greenland, work in Nuuk (or Godsthaab) long enough to learn Greenlandic (a derivative of Norwegian similar to Icelandic, only spoken by about 65k people), and go polar bear and reindeer hunting. At the time, having nothing else appropriate for taking polar bear, my thought was to slay them with my Remington M1100 12 ga shotgun.

I really don't know what got into us, but we laughed and talked about it and even looked into the cost of passage and the pay of a hand on a reindeer ranch. Finally, we lost our nerve, and went back to our studies.

 

[Bill Hook]

H.M.S. Prince of Whales

That would kinda explain Fergie if Andrew weren't the Duke of York instead.

 

[kernal_panic]

oh really KY larry? and how did the brits manage to sail HMS Prince of Wales into iceland? did they get merlin to do it by magic? That battleship is sitting on the bottom of the pacific. it was sunk on decmber 10th 1941 by japanse bombers.

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-fornv/uk/uksh-p/pow12.htm

it also tangeled with the Bismark and got its @$$ handed to it.

the codfish war was in 1972

http://www.solace.mh.se/~blasta/hist_eng.htm

 

[Crimper-D]

Know absolutely Nothing about Iceland - but

Correspond regularly with a Dane presently residing in Nuuk, the capitol of Greenland. His favorite firearm is a Browning .22 Automatic, He says handguns are forbidden the civilian population. He hunts fox and seals with a rimfire, borrows a centerfire when hunting bear... don't remember the caliber of choice up there.