Someone I know is going to Spain soon to study abroad for a semester. Question is what is legal to carry or have on you for self defense in Spain or the European Union? Thanks.

CRC

[url]http://web.jet.es/rafa/logo2.gif[/url]

this site should help you out some.  Spain does have private ownership of firearms, but I don't know if any non-citizen can have one--it's a pain in the ass for citizens to get them.
Pardon the poor translations--there're some doozies in there.  Good luck!
Damn link won't work--plug in "ipsc gasteiz born to jam" in your search and you should get there.

A foreigner? With guns? In Spain- or in Europe in general, carrying for protection? If you're rich and know people there, maybe you could get a hunting rifle or something, but otherwise: Fuhgeddaboudit- the answer is "nada".

[url]http://personales.jet.es/estudis_juridics/e_legal.html[/url]

This pretty much tells it all. The Spanish givt. puts many chairs in one's path if one wants to have a gun. And that's just for Spaniards- God help a foreigner. Face it, the USA is about the only place left in the world where one can legally carry concealed for protection...

Still, I can only imagine how many illegal souvenirs of the Spanish Civil war are still in attics and barns, though....

Spain is one of Miz Arock and my favorite places.  From the Alpuharra mountains on the Mediterranean coast to the Basque country in the north.  We take our rifles and shotguns for hunting and never had a problem.  We have the appropriate permits from a Spanish Consulate but we've never been asked for them.  We hunt with a friend of Juan-Carlos and that probably helps.  By the same token we have never taken a handgun.  I'll email a friend in Ciudad Real and find out.  As he has homes at his finca as well as Madrid it may take a day or so to get a response.

I'm envious of your friend.  Spain is a lovely country.  We could move there in a heartbeat.

Spain has way too many gun laws left over from Franco's Administration.

IIRC, Franco was a Nazi who was put in Power as a result of the Spanish Civil War with help from Hitler. So, consequently his laws are very opressive.

I figured a gun was out. This person doesn't shoot anyway. I was thinking more along the lines of a knife, dagger, pepper spray, baton, brass knuckes,.....

Thanks for the responses.


CRC

Well the link gave me all the information I need. I guess you can't defend yourself and about all you can carry is a spork. [:(].

Boy I am glad my relatives that left Spain for the USA did. It might be nice to visit Spain but not live there. Give me the USA!

CRC

guy I know went to Jamaica, felt a little intimidated by some locals, so he bought a large "handmade genuine souvenir sugar cane machete." he carried that around town for the rest of his trip, had no problems