Is Iceland gun friendly. There is a chance I might move there is fall.

I don't KNOW, but my guess is that it is VERY gun UNfriendly, given my familiarity with Denmark (which Iceland was part of up to WW2) and the general culture.



... on the other hand, it's not like anyone is going to invade them, and they've got extremely low levels of violent crime.  

Iceland is a socialist republic.  Last time I researched it, a little over half of your income goes toward taxes.  It's also rated as one of the best places to live in the world.  Most jobs give an average of two months vacation time a year.  If you get injured, pregnant, your back hurts etcetra, you get full pay for some ungodly amount of years....

I don't think that most people on this website would like it there...  But I don't know anything about their gun laws.

We are starting a church plant in Iceland starting in the fall so I wanted to know what I could bring and not bring.

Quoted: Iceland is a socialist republic.

I just want to clarify this, because people OFTEN misunderstand this kind of expression.


Like other Scandinavian countries, Iceland has a lot of socialized things like medicine, education, welfare, benefits, etc. - but they are still a democratic, capitalist society.  They just have a very broad welfare system. A true socialist state would be one where there was no private property, no capitalism, (probably no free elections,) etc.


Make no mistake - Iceland is a free, democratic and capitalist state, just like the rest of Scandinavia.  In fact, Iceland is one of the OLDEST countries with a true representative "democratic" governments in the world.  Their elected parliament is directly decended from the "Ting" where local elected representatives would make decisions, and the tradition is over a thousand years old.

IIRC, the police don't carry guns, so take it from there.  Also, stay away from the Black Death.

ETA, don't go near the hakarl either.

I used to work with an Icelander. He used to carry a chunk of that nasty stuff around in his pocket and munch on it all day.

Quoted: Iceland is a socialist republic.  Last time I researched it, a little over half of your income goes toward taxes.  It's also rated as one of the best places to live in the world.  Most jobs give an average of two months vacation time a year.  If you get injured, pregnant, your back hurts etcetra, you get full pay for some ungodly amount of years.... I don't think that most people on this website would like it there...  But I don't know anything about their gun laws.

Gun laws are a nightmare AFAIK.  Yeah, it's a welfare state but I doubt that abuse is common, Iceland has only 270 000 inhabitants with a patriotic monoculture.

Quoted: Quoted: Iceland is a socialist republic.  Last time I researched it, a little over half of your income goes toward taxes.  It's also rated as one of the best places to live in the world.  Most jobs give an average of two months vacation time a year.  If you get injured, pregnant, your back hurts etcetra, you get full pay for some ungodly amount of years.... I don't think that most people on this website would like it there...  But I don't know anything about their gun laws. Gun laws are a nightmare AFAIK.  Yeah, it's a welfare state but I doubt that abuse is common, Iceland has only 270 000 inhabitants with a patriotic monoculture.

Exactly - when you've got a homogeneous population, with a shared culture and similar norms and work ethic, a society like Iceland's can be AWESOME !



I think a lot of people in the U.S. (not to offend anyone or pick on anyone) don't really understand how well a strong welfare system can actually work, because it doesn't seem to work very well in the U.S.

Quoted: IIRC, the police don't carry guns, so take it from there.

The cops are unarmed in Norway as well, but it does'nt meat that gun legislation is that bad.

Lucky guy, Iceland is one of my favorite places.  Beautiful scenery, beautiful women, no crime.  IIRC, people hunt there so guns aren't totally off limits.

Quoted: Exactly - when you've got a homogeneous population, with a shared culture and similar norms and work ethic, a society like Iceland's can be AWESOME !

You mean when a country is 100% "WHITE CHOCOLATE" ?

Iceland's one of the richest countries in Europe now. London is like their second city and they buy up a lot of property there given the small number of Icelanders in the world.  Until the last few decades their nation was barely sustainable though, and sometimes they'd have referendums proposing to move the whole people to the prairies of Canada (there are some regions of Canada that are kind of like Minnesota in the sense of large numbers of Icelanders that moved there.  But unlike Minnesota the Icelander communities are a lot more homogenous and culturally distinct).

But with their human capital more productively put to use through IT, the advent of the EU (although Iceland has stayed out of it), and technological advances that have made fishing a lot more productive with bigger markets for fish, Iceland is doing great.

I spent 2 weeks there for New Years, tons of hot women, well dressed and well paid, and everything is expensive.  If your cellphone takes a SIM card you can just buy a new Simin' card there for your phone to work. there was few police(Reykjavik) and the ones that appredended us, really couldn't do anything. There is virtually no crime. Lots of alcoholic residents. Tons of hot women. In the capital the 20-40 crowd, everyone is trying to be cooler than the next, in a small area, with a small population. Definitley small town feeling always seeing the same people, dating, etc.  Probably no EBR's but there are guns available for hunting.I'm definitley going back.

Quoted: Lots of alcoholic residents.

Is alcohol sales in grocery shops still banned?

Regarding gun legislation, my grandmas uncle cousin says that handguns are no-no and that all semi-auto rifles have to been grandfathered before 1996.

Quoted: Quoted: Lots of alcoholic residents. Is alcohol sales in grocery shops still banned? Regarding gun legislation, my grandmas uncle cousin says that handguns are no-no and that all semi-auto rifles have to been grandfathered before 1996.

What about Norway?  I have thought about taking a job there, and the offer still stands for me.

How bad are the taxes and gun laws?

I speak online with a guy in Iceland. Gun laws are horrible. Worse than the worst US states even.

No handguns, no semi-rifles. Semi shotguns maybe, apparently buckshot and slugs are restricted. Ammunition and arms are expensive, hunting licenses expensive, getting licenses for guns requires starting with a .22 and shotgun and going on from there. Overall, regulated like mad.

Quoted: What about Norway?  I have thought about taking a job there, and the offer still stands for me. How bad are the taxes and gun laws?

Like all welfare states we are taxed to death, expect a 35 - 45% tax on income, 25% VAT, the worlds most expensive alcohol and European standard on gas. Cars are damn expensive and taxed by weigth and amount of horsepower, forget the regular american truck unless you have a million kroner income or if you would like to have more than 3 passenger seats.

As for the gun part, gun legislation is having a rewrite now (for the better!). As of today, you have to get a permit to purchase firearms and you have to explain why you need to get a weapon, valid reasons are hunting or competition/training. However, if thing goes as planned you can obtain 8 firearms for hunting purposes without quarreling with the police each time you want to purchase guns for hunting wheter you have a need for new weapons or not. Hunting with semi-auto rifles of "military character" is illegal, but nobody really knowns what that means. AR-15s are no-no for hunting, but ie. the mini-14 is not.

The other interesting part of the new gun legislation is that any semi-auto rifle that has been approved for civilian sale within the Schengen region will become legal to purchase in Norway as well. That would probably mean that the selection of these kind or rifles will become even better than in the US, there is no 89 import ban or similar. If you participate in IPSC rifle you're free to buy anything of the above, but there is limitations on the amount of rifles you can buy. Don't know what kind of semi-auto rifles that will be legal for hunting purposes yet*. As for revolvers and pistols, you'll have to be a member of a pistol club for 6 months before you can apply for a permit and you'll have to apply each time you want a new gun, same goes for weapons for IPSC use. You can quite easily obtain 4 pistols/revolvers but beyond that you'll have to partipate in competitions to get more. To get hunting guns you need to spend 300-400$ for a hunting exam (one time, not annualy) before you can start to purchase guns. Bolt action rifles for competition requires only membership in a club. You're free to buy surpressors if you have a permit for the weapon. You're free to import guns as long as you have a permit for purchase, but to get stuff out of the US is a nightmare.

Full-autos and weapons for collecting purposes are possible, but rather hopeless to get hold of. Any kind of carry is illegal except on Svalbard.

* there is a list of approved semi-auto rifles on http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:csFIxWzGTM4J:www.politi.no/pls/idesk/docs/f1436860182/skytevapen050330.doc+ruger+site:.politi.no&hl=no&gl=no&ct=clnk&cd=1
but it is rather scarce because the police rewrote the laws in may 2004 and the bureacrats works slow when someone tries to approve new rifles, and when the rumours of the new legislation came out, every importer is waiting for the new legislation instead of new filing permits. The top list is for IPSC rifle, the bottom is for hunting purposes. It's only related to new rifles, grandfathered stuff is not included.

Isn't that Bjork chick from Iceland?  She would just screech and the next thing you know, she was singing with the Boston Philharmonic!!  And she was fugly!


"I talk to a guy online from Iceland all the time. . . . . . ."          What's that all about?

I'm hearing lots of talk about hot chics.
I see no pics........

Quoted: We are starting a church plant in Iceland starting in the fall so I wanted to know what I could bring and not bring.

What is that?

I also read somewhere Iceland has the highest number of unwed mothers.  Also there is no social stigma if you are one.  You are just accepted.  Due to the climate I guess.  When life is hard you kind of have different priorities.

my sister and her husband went there in the mid 80's. Lotsa hippies so I would say no on guns.

Quoted: Any kind of carry is illegal except on Svalbard.

Polar Bears?



Yes. You can actually get fined for not being armed.

Quoted: I also read somewhere Iceland has the highest number of unwed mothers.  Also there is no social stigma if you are one.  You are just accepted.  Due to the climate I guess.  When life is hard you kind of have different priorities.

Or it could just be the way they get when they've been drinking at the bars in Reykjavik.  It was offered to me so quickly, I was like.... <Chris Rock> "Damn!  It must be my lucky day!  Is it my birthday?" </Chris Rock>

Another thing, if you like big trucks, there are more monster trucks there than I've ever seen in my life.  Most of the roads are unpaved.  Not sure how they afford it when gas is ~ $6/gallon.

I don't think most of the Bush chearleaders here would like it though just out of politcal reasons.

Quoted: Isn't that Bjork chick from Iceland?  She would just screech and the next thing you know, she was singing with the Boston Philharmonic!!  And she was fugly! "I talk to a guy online from Iceland all the time. . . . . . ."          What's that all about?

He's my interweb e-lover so that we can try to subvert the good moral Christian family, what do you think? geez

He IMed me about paintball years ago when I still played, and then about hunting/shooting as I got into that.