Quote Originally Posted by HamburgO View Post
I'm not Canadian, but based on my experience in European countries, I think the problem is that first of all, legally purchasing a handgun is much harder than in the US, and legally carrying close to impossible for civilians. Secondly, although a search of a person and/or their vehicle and luggage will generally require probable cause of some kind in any democratic country, there are areas within cities, such as train stations and red light districts, in which anyone is subject to search at any time for any reason. This has also become the case in parts of the US, such as NYPD's "stop and frisk" policy - 1,800 searches per day, with the justification of pre-empting crime and terrorist acts. Thirdly, if you do get caught with an illegal weapon, penalties are quite severe. In NYC it is a felony with a mandatory minimum sentence of three (!) years. In Germany, it's also a felony, and while you might still get around jail on a first offense, you will definitely get time on probation and a hefty fine of up to 10,000 EUR (app. $13,000).

Fourth, if you actually draw your illegally carried and possibly illegally purchased firearm and end up killing or injuring someone, justified or not, your life will be generally f**ked for some time. You will most likely be charged with murder or, best case, manslaughter, and the burden of proof to show justification for the shooting will be on you. Even if you manage to do so, the illegal weapons charges as above will still apply.

Fortunately/unfortunately we are law abiding citizens, and not hardened criminals for whom none of this is a consideration. Although I do not always agree with the law, I intend to remain a law-abiding citizen and would strongly advise anyone to follow the law in their country of residence. There are always legal self-defense alternatives to carrying a gun, and the good news is, your chances of being attacked with a gun are much slimmer in countries other than the US.
Yes, the laws are similar. Carrying or using a weapon, even in self-defense, carries a stiff penalty.

But, it's probably different in Europe than in Canada with availability of guns. Guns would have to smuggled into European countries, probably from Eastern Europe or some place. We're next to America, and guns are brought over by the truckload. Criminals have easy access to them (here's actually a documentary on it if you care: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq8Qlxu5vxk