guns in the Bahamas

[gboat5]

i always travel with guns on board in the Bahamas, previously always a handgun with a small amount of ammo. I am planning an extended cruise in the near future and would prefer to go with a little more weight on board (9mm handgun with 200 rounds and my AR-15 with 1000 rounds). Does anyone have experience with this at customs? I know everything must stay aboard, but I just don't want to draw any additional attention. Is anyone aware of a watch list or any other type of followup that carrying the guns may cause?

[john61ct]

Sensible discussion here

https://www.thehulltruth.com/florida...s-bahamas.html

but things can change

[gaucho]

Why would anyone need an assault rifle with 1000 rounds in Bahamas? I really, truly would like to understand without turning this into a gun control off-topic. I want to understand the frame of mind. Because I (as a country, as a customs officer) would take the presence of your guns like a danger to the community. Why?

[tomfl]

You can find the official policy on line but keep in mind the Bahamas are on island time so the official policy is not always followed to the letter. The Cliff Notes version is you can take semi auto long guns but they must be declared along with the exact number of rounds you have. Suppose to have a limit of 250 rounds per caliber with a max limit of 500 but that can be flexible to some extent. If the truth be known the officials are often more concerned about making sure you leave with the same number of rounds you entered with unless you have a very good explanation of why you discharged a weapon. The officials are very concerned about ammo brought into the country being sold. Also suppose to keep all fire arms secured and locked and not take them off the boat. Just make sure you declare everything, if you get caught with undeclared small arms or ammo you will probably have your boat confiscated.

[gboat5]

thanks for the link, that is a very sensible and educational discussion on the topic. Right after i posted that questions I searched the topic on here, and found nothing as useful as your link. Bunch of people scared of guns on this board. I view guns as a safety device like a smoke detector or airbags in a car, I hope to God i never need them, but at the end of the day they may save your life.

[john61ct]

They are ensuring the crazy Yanks don't endanger their community

while also being careful not to stem the 70,000 boats p.a. income flow

[gboat5]

gaucho, My AR gun bag comfortably carries countless magazines and easily 1000 rounds of ammo, that is why. If I dumped 1 40 round mag in a violent exchange someone is going to be in serious trouble, I rarely miss with that rifle, and if 40 didn't resolve the problem, then I probably have a big problem. 1000 is no magic number, but why change my setup if I don't legally have to?

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by gaucho

Why would anyone need an assault rifle with 1000 rounds in Bahamas? I really, truly would like to understand without turning this into a gun control off-topic. I want to understand the frame of mind. Because I (as a country, as a customs officer) would take the presence of your guns like a danger to the community. Why?

Most serious shooters in the US are of the opinion you need to put at least 2,000 rounds through any small arms you own to break it in and get a feel for trigger pull and get the weapon zeroed in. It is very common to buy ammo in the US in bricks of 500 or more rounds or buckets of 1,000 or 2,000 rounds; and many folks buy multiple bricks or buckets.

Quite frankly I would feel more comfortable around someone who had put thousands of rounds through a weapon than someone who bought a weapon and a single box of 50 rounds and had never discharged the weapon.

Not sure how much experience you have had with small arms but it is really not possible to put 100 rounds through a weapon without a break to let the weapon cool down. It is normal for a weapon to jam if you continue to fire after the weapon has heated up to a certain level.

Bottom line is just as I feel more comfortable around a skipper who has sailed thousands of miles than I do around a credit card captain, I feel more comfortable around an experienced shooter than someone who has the bare minimum experience.

[gaucho]

Bunch of people scared of guns on this board. I view guns as a safety device like a smoke detector or airbags in a car, I hope to God i never need them, but at the end of the day they may save your life.

Oh, truste me, guns don't scare me. People that want to have guns in a safe tranquil Caribbean country scare the **** out of me.

Here, noonsite's 2017 report:
Piracy & Security Incident Reports 2017 —

No Bahamas!

CSSN map ...
https://safetyandsecuritynet.org

No Bahamas!

Seems information is more sensible than a gun as protection ...

Now, a gun is NOTHING like a smoke detector. A gun doesn't tell you in advance when a serious threat is approaching. That would be an alarm. A gun is more akin to a fire extinguisher. If you have a fire, you will use a fire extinguisher, because even if it could potentially be a mess to clean up, ruin some stuff, it's going to be much better than the damage the fire could bestow upon your boat. This is were the comparison becomes tricky; when can you be certain that your life is at risk with a security threat? Are you going to shoot at an approaching boat? By the way, is your plan to stay awake all night keeping a watch? I hope you have a lot of crew. So you are waiting till they are on board. Are you going to sleep with the gun (assault rifle in this case) by your pillow? At what point are you going to decide it's a moment to remove the gun from the locker/safe?

Are you planning on actually enjoying the sail, the Caribbean, and the being away from it all?

Here, have a cup of comedy that's also ****ing serious. Please don't go around shooting people when you visit other countries.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OZIOE6aMBk

[gboat5]

Originally Posted by john61ct

They are ensuring the crazy Yanks don't endanger their community

while also being careful not to stem the 70,000 boats p.a. income flow

The crazy Yanks, are 50% of my concearn in Bimini and West End, but out in the dark on the hook anything can happen. A huge problem with right now is the crack and meth that is getting ahold of the locals, when you are feeding that type of addiction rational thoughts out the window. I'm not going down without a fight, you board my vessel unanounced with bad intentions you will be shark food when I'm done, and I'm not reporting ****! Bye bye scumbag.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by gaucho

Oh, truste me, guns don't scare me. People that want to have guns in a safe tranquil Caribbean country scare the **** out of me.


SNIP[/url]

I am always bothered by peeps who lack a basic knowledge of geography. The Bahamas are in the Atlantic Ocean, not in the Caribbean Sea.

Knowledge is power.

[geoleo]

Originally Posted by gboat5

The crazy Yanks, are 50% of my concearn in Bimini and West End, but out in the dark on the hook anything can happen. A huge problem with right now is the crack and meth that is getting ahold of the locals, when you are feeding that type of addiction rational thoughts out the window. I'm not going down without a fight, you board my vessel unanounced with bad intentions you will be shark food when I'm done, and I'm not reporting ****! Bye bye scumbag.

sounds like you are a classic paranoid babbling nut

[gaucho]

Originally Posted by tomfl

I am always bothered by peeps who lack a basic knowledge of geography. The Bahamas are in the Atlantic Ocean, not in the Caribbean Sea.

Knowledge is power.

Ran out of arguments mate?

Any country where the phrase "Ya man" is used ... it's Caribbean.

Bahamas might geographically be in the Atlantic, not the Caribbean Sea, but politically it's considered a Caribbean nation. Bahamas is a member of CARICOM (Caribbean Community (CARICOM) —Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat). Bahamas is part of other Caribbean associations.

Knowledge (real one) IS POWER!

[gboat5]

gaucho, i responded to your brilliant post but for some reason i got the msg that my response must first be approved by a moderator. Wow did someone report me< i promise not to shoot any of you.

[gaucho]

Originally Posted by gboat5

gaucho, i responded to your brilliant post but for some reason i got the msg that my response must first be approved by a moderator. Wow did someone report me< i promise not to shoot any of you.

Send me your MMSI so I anchor far away from you

All good. I just want to share some information with you before you become so paranoid to think you need more than the gun you were already taking and need to "up the ante" to an AR15.

All good anyhow