ssia.
Can anybody carry a gun there? If so, is it limited to citizens only or can outsiders arrive, buy a gun and strap it on?
What are you planning?
What does ssia mean?
Subject Says It All
Thanks.
It’s Fiesta, then Siesta!
No.
I plan on moving there and opening a restaurant one day with my lady friend, but was reading that one in five gringos get robbed at gunpoint there a day.
Where did you read that? Whoever wrote it is a complete idiot. I just spent almost two weeks in Guatemala, some of it in tourist areas with lots of other gringos. With those odds, I should have been robbed at least twice myself in that length of time. I didn’t hear of a single person getting robbed by any means, much less at gunpoint.
Guatemala certainly has a crime problem, but the suggestion that one in five gringos gets held up at gunpoint every day is ludicrous.
I was just in Guatemala City this last week on business.
I saw a LOT of people with guns who were not police, including what looked like high-end H&K and Steyrs. They seemed to be private security. Our hotel had a guy with what seemed to be an SP89 who patrolled the ground floor, who was definitely not a happy looking fellow. So at least it appears on inspection that security people can get guns.
Also was woken up by gunfire Thursday night, and an “explosion” that rattled my windows up on the 17th floor. I’m glad my next trip is to England, where there aren’t so many femicides or drive-by grenade attacks.
Yes, yes it is. But not as ludicrous as thinking that almost 2 lousy weeks is long enough for a case study.:rolleyes:
That’s a common enough sight in many places in the developing world. It used to be like that in Panama some years ago, but things have settled down. I saw armed guards and police around the plaza in Antigua, but none at any of the hotels or other tourist sites. I saw no non-security people carrying arms, either in Antigua or in the countryside.
Was the explosion in fact a “grenade attack,” or are you speculating? In my neighborhood in Panama, people regularly set off very loud fireworks that rattle my windows, but they are just cannon-crackers.
What the hell are you talking about? I didn’t say anything about a “case study,” and in any case my comments are based on considerably more knowledge of the country than just my recent two-week stay. I know many people, both native and foreigners, who live and work there. I discussed safety issues related to traveling in the country with my contacts before and during my trip, specifically to avoid the more dangerous areas. :rolleyes: yourself if you actually think diggleblop’s figure of “one in five gringos get robbed at gunpoint there a day” is remotely credible. Do you have the slightest actual knowledge of any kind about Guatemala?
The US Department of State’s website says that “almost all of the 250,000 U.S. tourists who visit Guatemala annually do so without incident,” although they do indicate the level of violent crime is increasing. Once again, I am not saying that crime is not a serious problem in Guatemala; it is. But a large majority of tourists visit the country without ever having a problem.
I’m not disputing that. I’m reporting that it appears private security are allowed to have firearms, including some pretty high-powered devices.
It’s semi-humorous hyperbole. I have no idea what the explosion was. It was louder than a car backfire and softer than a Tunguska type event.
Hmm, that’s funny hothead. I didn’t know this was the pit.
When you learn how to read go back and you will notice that I pointed out that the OP’s ratio was indeed absurd. However, what is also absurd is that you used your own visit as a statistic in your first post on this thread, offering absolutely no outside cite what so ever. You simply posted that someone was full of beans and you know because you were there for almost 2 weeks.
Then when called out on your simpleton post you come back with cites, and about how much you know about the area.
Had to provided such information in your first post, mine would be nonexistent and you wouldn’t look like a blow hard know it all.
I visted Guatemala a few years ago it was amazing place had great fun. But that said , I’ve been to a few places with a bit of a reputation for crime, and really got the feeling the crime problem there was much worse than other places I’d been, not scientific I know but there you go…
I don’t know the gun laws are there but IMHO if you have to ask on a forum you are NO WHERE NEAR familiar enough with the country and culture to consider carrying gun in a foreign country.
Moderator steps in
Gentlemen, let’s all calm down and remember you’re in General Questions.
samclem GQ moderator
I find reports of violent crime in Latin America tend to be greatly exagerrated in the US press. And especially if the victim is a gringo. MAny times it isn’t the person’s nationality that makes them a victim but being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
This link is what got me looking around at crime rates. Just go about halfway down the page to “Scams and Warnings” and you’ll see what got me worried. I can’t find a cite mentioning where i saw that one in five tourists get robbed at gunpoint. It may very well have been one in ten or something.
Not to mention, my lady friend has told me many stories of tourists getting robbed and shot down there.
Back to the question at hand though. Is it legal for a non citizen to carry a weapon down there or not? A simple “no” isn’t good enough, I need a cite if possible.
Thanks guys !
Ley de Armas y Municiones (PDF file) seems to be the statute currently in force regulating the traffic and possession of firearms in Guatemala. This file is from the OAS website, so I guess it’s a reputable source.
The word “ciudadanos” seems to imply that non-nationals are not permitted to possess guns in their homes.
The provision regarding carrying guns outside your home also repeats the word “ciudadanos:”
Of course IAAGL (I am not a Guatemalan lawyder), etc.
IANAGL, that is.