Guys can I take a bit of your time to get a quick run down on gun ownership in your respective countries?

Just the main points if you prefer. For example for here in Australia I could say "no calibre restriction. Licenses required and registration.
Major banned types are full autos,semi-autos, pump shotguns however some can still be gained with special cicumstances etc. Plenty of hunting.Handguns allowed- require heavier criteria and no hunting with them" or something like that.

I notice we get a lot of certain nationalities on this site. The scandinavians as we say, also german language countries, brits, french, mainly western/middle eurpoean and mediteranean I guess.

But we seem to missing a lot of the old eastern bloc and ex soviets.I have not seen many Romanian posters for example and they seem to have quite a bit of game available. I could be mistaken -apologies if so.
Would this be to do with gun laws or less net access and less people with English as a second language?


Anyway, thanks for your input.

Karl.

I am an American living in SW Spain in the province of Andalucia. I can own 5 each, rifles, shotguns, and airguns. I think this is why so many Europeans use change barrel guns. As then you are not limited to the number of calibers you can own.

A R93 may not be the best gun in the world, but it's damn versatle. Tons of R93's here in Spain.

Cheers mate,

KOKDYER

Living in the UK - no handguns, semi or full auto rifles (OK - .22lr semi permitted)

Unlimited shotguns inc semi 3 shots on permit. Serial numbers registered.

Rifles unlimited on permit - calibre specific permission granted prior to purchase. Serial numbers registered.

The reality is that 'good reason' must be shown for each firearm purchase, and that there is a unofficial move to restrict TOTAL longarms to six or less.

Five yearly license renewal but NO tags or bag limits for hunting. Six species of easily huntable deer with overlapping seasons - means 365 day a year legal hunting.

To sum up - currently there are some restrictions and generally well policed licensing system. If you are a reasonable and competent shooter, you generally have quite a degree of freedom.

I still regret the withdrawall of handguns and semiauto rifles however!

Rgds Ian

In Germany, you need to have a reason for owning guns, e.g. hunting, competitive shooting or gun collecting.
As a hunter you can own two handguns (more if you can prove you need them) and as many long guns of any caliber as you want. All guns and every transfer are registered.

Not allowed are fully automatic weapons, weapons of war, flashlights or lasers attached to firearms, night vision scopes, pump shotguns without buttstock (folding stock semiautomatic shotguns are legal!!). Silencers are extremely difficult to get, but not generally illegal. No restrictions on magazines, although some are excluded from certain uses (only 2-shot magazines for hunting with semiautomatic guns). No handgun hunting (only finishing shots from handguns allowed).

Getting a concealed carry license is theoretically possible but extremely difficult.

Living in Iceland:
No restrictions on the total number number of firearms per licence .
Autoloading rifles not allowed, and no rifles above 8mm in caliber are allowed .
Handguns very hard to obtain, though not impossible.

So far, no bag-limit on hunting or any restrictions regarding the amount of animals taken per hunt except for reindeer. The hunter usually buys a licence for one deer.

Regards

Every state here has it's own laws, but most simply comply with Federal Law. Laws can be more strict, but not less so.

Here in Nevada we have unlimited quantity of rifles, shotguns, and handguns, without a licensing requirement, though an 'instant' background check is required for purchases through a dealer. Automatic weapons and suppressors require a Federal license and check, which can take up six months and cost $200. Private party sales of unregulated firearms require no governmental action.

Nevada has many more people wishing to hunt our larger game (mule deer, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, elk, pronghorn) than game, so permits are issued by draw, also known as lottery. Generally one animal per year per species. There is some hunting on game ranches, where the game is considered livestock, and the hunt is merely a commercial transaction.

I can only dream of hunting moose or white tail deer in Finland.

Pardon me, I forgot to mention that concealed carry permit, refered to as CCW, is not much of a problem. It requires a one or two day class, some proficiency demonstration, and an application to county Sheriff. Total cost is about $200 and the permit is good for two years, I think. Never bothered with it myself.
Renewal of permit is cheap and easy.

In Belgium :
- *handguns, military caliber rifles, rimfires (!?!) and semi-auto shotguns & rifles (for non hunters) may be acquired with a police permit submitted to theoretical (gun laws) and practical (gun handling) exams ;
- rifles and shotguns may be acquired freely but are registered (hunters may buy semi-auto rifles & shotguns limited to 2+1 rounds) ;
- automatic firearms available to registered collectors only.

* owning 5 weapons firing the same ammo or 10 assorted defence and/or military weapons require a special depot permit, assorted with precautionary storing measures (house alarm, gun safe, gun room, etc.)

Here in Sweden, I can have six rifles as a hunter. Only professional gamekeepers and similar can get permission for more. To get a licence for a hunting rifle, you need to pass a national hunting exam and be at least 18 years old. No handgun hunting allowed, but if you do a lot of trapping, you can get permission for a single shot handgun in .22 LR. In practice, all rifle calibres are allowed up to .50 BMG, and all rifles except full autos and rifles looking like military weapons. No larger shotgun calibre then no 12 allowed, and semiautos must not take more than three shells. Guns must be kept in a gun-safe meeting certain standards.

To get a licence for a handgun, you need to be an active member of a shooting association and meet certain standards as a shooter (I don’t know the exact rules offhand).

You can also get collector licenses, but that is a bit restricted – in particular for handguns and autos - and with a collector’s license for a gun, you are not allowed to fire the gun, not even on a range.

You can get a licence for silencer with a doctor’s affidavit that your hearing is impaired. No night vision scopes or laser sights. You can have several barrels to a gun, it still counts as one gun.

Moose, bear and lynx are on a tag or license system. Each landowner or hunt get a permission for the number of moose to be taken each year, and how many days the season is open in that county. In some counties bear and lynx are allowed, and a total number to be killed decided for each county. The hunters must report the animals shot, and when the limit has been reached, the hunting for these species is closed. Almost no other bag limits, though the rules on red deer is a bit complicated, with certain “deer management areas†where deer is less protected once a plan for conservation is approved.

Am I right beliving that Sweden is the only Scandinavian country with a limit on the number of hunting rifles/shotguns allowed?

Regards,
Martin

Marterius, you say in your post that you can not have rifles that look like military rifles. Does that mean modern military, or does it include older ones, like the Mausers your country used to use?

When I lived in France it went generally like this (I am sure a real French national will come on and give better detail, but I thought I'd post something )

With a Hunting liscense you can get class 5 weapons:
rifles including semi auto (there is a capacity maxi, maybe 5, I am not sure...), pump. Though rifles have to be registered at local police station. No "war calibres" ie. calibers that an army used for its army, some of the 7 and 8mm cartrdiges (though not the rimmed versions, so you can not have 7x57 mauser, but you can have 7mm rimmed version), the 30-06, etc.

Shotgun, except pump (since GIs brought them over in WWI some aruged they were "war guns", ), but can have semi-autos. No registration of smooth barreled guns when I was there. Not sure on limits on total number of longguns.

If you are a member of a shooting club then you can have "handguns" though, there are "war calibre" restrictions and some others restrictions, but I didn't have much experience with handguns there. 357 was a very popular calibre with the French shooters I met.

In order to get "class 1" weapons, which are "war materials" you need a special permit and they can only be shot at a shooting range. Not sure on the particulars exactly.

Here in Finland it goes like this:

For obtaining a license for a gun you must have a reason for that. The reasons can be hunting, sport shooting or collecting. For self-defense only pepper-spray or such can be obtained.All guns need a permit and it must be applied from a local police office.

For hunting, all kind of long guns are allowed. Pumps don't have any ammo capacity limit, but semi-auto rifles and shotguns can have max 3+1 ammo capacity. For some game animals only 2+1.

Handgun hunting is forbidden, but you can use them for coupe de grace and trapping.

Full-auto guns and alike you can have only, if you have been given the status of a registered collector. After that, you can buy pretty much whatever guns you want, if they are even distantly of the kind you have told that you are collecting. Including machine guns, cannons etc. etc.

Silencers are allowed in hunting, using night vision scopes or artificial light in hunting is not.

There aren't precise restrictions for how many guns a person can own, but there are limits on how many guns of certain types you can have without having a sertified gun safe. That is something like six semi-autos or handguns or something like that.

Air rifles don't need any kind of a permit, and they are not allowed for shooting any living animals, only target shooting.

There aren't many caliber limits except for shotguns, which have the maximum of gauge 10 and minimum of 28 for hunting. Rifles don't have any maximum caliber limits, but hunting regulations have certain minimum energy and bullet weight limits for different game animals. It's the same that Sweden has, I think.

I think our system is pretty good, except that there is very much diversity between the practises of different police officials. In some cities you can get a license for almost any gun you want without too much hassle and in some areas you will have hard time getting a permit for a .22 rifle. Some officials also have their own opinions of the number of guns that someone needs, and some officials don't care about that at all.

quote:

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Originally posted by hidesertloafer:
Marterius, you say in your post that you can not have rifles that look like military rifles. Does that mean modern military, or does it include older ones, like the Mausers your country used to use?

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Only modern military (looking like an Armalite, H&K G3 etc). Don't know about something like an older military semiauto looking like a M1 but I think it is stop for a hunting license. You can however get a hunting licence for a modern sniper rifle like a Sako TRG. It is all about political correctness. But there are a great lot of old Husqvarna made mauser 96 and 98 in use here. In particular the FN-made 98-actions in 9.3x62 are popular for semicustom work.

Regards,
Martin

In Holland you need a licence to buy or possess firearm or ammo and to obtain a license you must have a good reason. On a hunting license (you must pass an exam to obtain it) you can own a maximum of 6 rifles (any calibre suitable for hunting purposes)or shotguns (cal 12,16 or 20 only) without questions asked. Semi-autos are allowed if the magazine is blocked for a maximum of 2 rounds. There is no limitation on extra barrels; this is one of the reasons for the Blaser R93 getting more and more popular.
If you are a member of a shooting club you can get a special license for a limited number of firearms including handguns, but only for use on the shooting range.

Just a bit more on the Icelandic rules,
To obtain a license you have to go on a seminar; and for the first year you can only have a 22cal and a shotgun but not any semi auto guns.
After one year you can go to another seminar and if you pass, get a license to have semi auto shotguns and any rifle up to 30cal.
To buy and use bigger guns for use when you go abroad is some paperwork but many hunters have license for 375, 416 and bigger.
Furthermore if you own 3 guns or more you have to store them in a steel cabinet that is bolted to a wall.

Thank you, Marterius. It would be a shame not to be able to own those old military rifles that are so much a part your country's past.

I'm in Italy and have been for the last 6 years. Some of the aspects are good, others not to good;

No full autos, but semi autos are accepted and may be used for hunting.
No .50BMG, just because.

No limit on "hunting" classified firearms

3 "common" handguns, being mostly personal protection type pistols.

6 "sporting" firearms being most other pistols, and all rimfires and sub.22 cal as well as high powered airguns. Some traget rifles fall into this category, but strangely enough, an AR15 or AK47 is classified as "hunting"

With proper justification, you can get concealed pistol carry permits.

We have a national cataloge which is a real farce, whereby each and every firearm is cataloged in it's specs and you may not modify it in any way, otheriwise the result, as far as the law is concerned would be a new and "non-cataloged" therefore illegal firearm. They are also very slow in cataloging things. We still only have .223WSSM and .243WSSM and the .17HMR came in mid last year. It would normally take about 2 years or more for any new model Remington or Winchester to get here.

You can forget about haveing anything really "custom" this part of very frustrating.
If you make any mods that do come within the specs on the catalog, the weapon must be proofed and approved.

You get a firearms licence, which entitiles you to just walk into a gunshop and buy whatever, then you must take the declaration the shop gaveyou to the local authorities and register the weapon.
If you are unlucky and have to go through a "questura" that is particularly beurocratic and slow, you may get into problems where they take many months to process your registration, and people have been in situations where they wanted to sell guns, but found they couldn't because they didn't technically own them yet...I just go to the local police and I must say am pretty lucky since they do it on the spot for me, as is often the case in small towns.

We have seasons for different kinds of hunting and you need a separate licence for hunting, as well as your firearms licence. You can hunt for about 7 months of the year if you partake in the various seasons and do the courses for the news kinds of hunting, plus there are often culls and other such excuses for a hunt at any time of the year for those qualified and wiling to jump through the hoops.

I don't mind it, I think it's a lot better than what we have back home, where you need to apply for a permit to purchase every gun, and must motivate each one, joint clubs all that crap, just to show you are interested.

When I first moved to Switzerland, anybody (Swiss or foreign resident - except people from countries where war was beig waged) could walk into a gunshop, select a bolt-action rifle, semi-auto or shotgun, plunk down the cash and walk out with it. Handguns could only be obtained with proof of a clean criminal record. Carry was allowed in some cantons, but not in others. Everybody was happy, and everybody had their Swiss Army full auto assault rifle sitting in their cubbard, together with 25 rounds of ammo for it.

A couple of years back, on pressure from the EU ("horrible, horrible Swiss - we are sure somebody *could* have bought a rifle there"), the first federal law regulating ownership of firearms was put through parliament. Now to acquire long guns, you either need to have passed the hunting test, or show your clean criminal record.

We can still own as many long guns as we please, and neither they nor our handguns are (officially) registered. I'm not quite sure if there are any caliber restrictions, .50 BMGs are not seen often on my range, but from time to time somebody does show up with one of these (much to the chagrin of the guy on the next lane, as they are usually equipped with a brake ),

Alas, further because of our "progressive" neighbours, who don't believe much in armed citizens ("this could be DANGEROUS - arms should only be for the authorities"), we are likely to have to register our firearms in the future (probably at great cost to the individual shooter), all in the name of harmonization with the EU. Needless to say, no criminal is likely to register anything, so a fat lot of good that will do - except for the beaureaucrats, who will get a new multi-million Swiss Franc computer system to play with.

Since the new Federal firearms law was put into place, it has become MUCH more difficult (or rather much more expensive) to import reloading components and rifles. It is still possible, but associated with considerable expense and a fair amount of redtape. Alas, in the name of harmonization, this is likely to get worse in the future. Such is the progress awaiting us all...

At least the military weapons are still in the hands of the Swiss militia members (basically all males from about 18-50). The militia army will probably disappear in a few years, and with it the arms held at home. Sadly that will also negatively affect the number of people actively taking part in 300 m shooting - an obligatory exercise at this point in time.

- mike

Guys, thanks for replies. Looks like we have some of the countries I predicted represented.

And it sounds like most of us are in a similar boat then, with what seems to me laws that defy common sense in a lot of places.

I notice we missed out on finding any breakaway or eastern bloc countries either.

What's happened to those guys does anyone know?
No guns, no internet or just not many English speakers in their countries?

Karl.

Poland,
regarding hunting guns you must be a member of Polish Hunting Association, which means you must terminate as hunter for 18 months in a hunting club, followed by an exam and finally get a license from the police. There is no limit for quantity of guns but you must declare why you need such a number of guns . Generally there is no problem to obtain a license for four-five guns. No fully automatic firearms allowed as well as hundguns for hunting purposes, althoug it is possible to get a license for hundgun for self protection if you can proove the need for it and pass a certain psychologic tests. For hunting purposes a minimum caliber is 5,6 mm with 1000 J at 100 m for roe deer and smaller game and 2000 J (at 100 m) for heavier game. I have not heard of a 50 BMG in Poland for hunting purpose but I would like to hear the reply of the police in case of refusal of giving the licence! (all other conditions fullfillled). For foreigners, there is a possibility to import firearms for huntig purposes once they have bought a hunt here.

Karl,
Forget common sense when it comes to gun laws. I don't think that notion could be applied to any country, including the USA where there is still some relative freedom in this area. The only universal illogic now being applied is "guns are dangerous and therefore gunowners are dangerous people" who have to be controlled and constantly monitored. This is now the universal yardstick applied in various degress in all countries.

Norway ( not an EU member ) have gun laws much like Sweden. But there are som differences.
As by now there are no upper limit for numbers of guns.
But you have to convince the local Police that you have a good reason to buy another gun.
Full auto weapons not allowed. No caliber restriction, look alike military arms ok, no guns for self protection allowed, to own handguns you have to be a member of an competition pistol club.

Shotguns must be registred but no caliber restrictions. Strong tradition for competition shooting and hunting. Probably the country in Europe with highest number of civilan arms pr. capita. ( Switzerland and Finland clame the same ) The Norwegian equivalent of the National Guard with 85000 soldiers, have ther full auto G3 rifles with 200 rounds of 7,62x51 fmj at home. If you own more than 3 long guns or 1 handgun, one must hav a gun safe.
All hunting privat or on Gov land.

Moose, red deer , rein deer, roe deer, seal, lynx, beaver and an aboundant of birds can be hunted. No hunting of bear and wolf exept when they slay livestock and then only Gvmt. issued hunters can participate.

If one behave and have a sensible local Police one can be wery well set with firearms .

quote:

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Originally posted by Arild Iversen:

--The Norwegian equivalent of the National Guard with 85000 soldiers, have ther full auto G3 rifles with 200 rounds of 7,62x51 fmj at home.

--If one behave and have a sensible local Police one can be wery well set with firearms .

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This is true Arild. But don't forget to mention that these H&K G3 battle rifles (And MP-5 machine pistols for those who have them instead) don't have their firing pins any more due to the change in the law a couple of years ago! In other words; these weapons are only usable as clubs and walking sticks until the soldier meets up with his unit...

The sad thing is that in theory, if you are walking along to meet up with your unit, you are in uniform and appearantly armed. Therefore, an enemy can legally engage you as a soldier, but you can't defend yourself with your useless "firepinless" weapon. I suggest in such a case that these soldiers carry a big sign stating that they are off limits until their weapon is functioning... Hopefully the enemy will be understanding...

Re. the Police; this unfortunatly differs greatly from town to town. Some police follow the written law as issued by the "Politi Direktoratet", while some others (Oslo for example) have personell thet sometimes make their own rules. Unfortunatly I'm not kidding.


Here in Oslo, the people (they happen to be women) who decide each case don't even actually shoot, or hunt, or have any interest in guns. Whatsoever! I've dealt with them quite a lot and have gotten to know them a bit. They even admit it themselves.

This must be just aboout the only job in the police force where one of the job criterias is to NOT be interested in what you're working with!!!

The only good thing about them is that one of them is rather nice looking

In practice here in Oslo, you have to be a bit lucky to get them to allow you to have more than 1 rifle in the same calibur/use group. For example; if you have a rifle for moose hunting, say a 30-06, you have to come up with a convicing story to be allowed one more 30-06. Or even a 375H&H, or a .338winmag. Their reasoning is that you already have a rifle (and calibur) that's suitable for moose and all other Norwegian big game such as reindeer, elk and so on.

There have even been cases where a hunter has wanted to buy a double rifle in 470NE for buff in africa. They were given a short-term permit for 2 years, whereafter they had to sell the rifle since they couldn't prove to the police that they would be going to africa regulary...

In my opinion, the gun regulations here are heading in the wrong direction. Supposedly the increased strictness is to lower the gun related crime rate. Of course all of us know that criminals don't use hunting rifles in crimes very often, so it's just a ploy to satisfy the general public who don't know any better. Even my buddys in the police who hunt shake their heads in disgust over these politics. They know that most weapons used in crimes are smuggled in from abroad.

There is also serious talk of a maximum of 6 firearms per person in the near future... If this will mean only 6 new firearms from that date in addition to what one has from before, or 6 firearms in total (meaning that many law abiding people will have to sell some guns), is not clear yet. Time will tell, but I don't have great hopes in this politically correct country of ours...

Erik D...
I stand correctet regarding the firing pin issue. It´s one of the most silly stunts they have done lately.

And you are so right about the lack of gun savvy clerks at the Police Stations.
Right now I´m waiting for the result on my application for a 375 H&H, seems like the Police in Trondheim are overworked because of the gun amnesty of last year ??

A gun limit like what the Swedes have might be introdused in a few years, I have heard thous rumors as well. A lot of things might change if the Labour/ Socialist coalission win the next election, and not to the better I´m afraid.

quote:

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A lot of things might change if the Labour/ Socialist coalission win the next election, and not to the better I´m afraid.

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Yes, things are looking grim.

Btw, I can just about guarantee you that last years amnesty has nothing to do with your wait now. The amnesty paperwork is all finished. I personally feel the biggest problem is that the various offices follow their own differant "private rules". This is actually illegal if you think about it!

Where will the nonsense end? When we are all disarmed?

Guys, you EU folks are toast one way or the other. The governing bodies see only one valid reason for owning a gun: paying endless fees and taxes for the privilege.
Being the snobby bastards that they are, bureaucrats (the world over) think that if you can't earn enough to pay for this particular privilege then you aren't qualified to deserve the privilege. We are facing the same threat here in the USA but the progression is slower.
On the other hand, you have a reasonble and logical appreciation of supressors which seems to completely escape our public nit wits. Go figure.

quote:

Originally posted by Karl:
Guys can I take a bit of your time to get a quick run down on gun ownership in your respective countries?

Certainly! Austria:

Full-Auto's, 50BMG, silencers, night-vision-scopes, and pump-guns (!) banned as "weapons of war". Extremly rare exeptions for collectors possible, requires permit from minstery of defence.

Handgun's:
Licence required for ownership & use at shooting range. Licence requires psychological test and (every 5 years) a proficiency test(mostly safe gun-handling skills). With a valid hunting licence (requires exam) both tests are waived.
Seperate licence required for carrying a handgun for protection (also while hunting). Need to prove reason for this licence. Regular hunting opportunity in an area that has high wild boar population will be accepted as reason.

Handgun & Bow Hunting not (yet) allowed (might change, some discussion ongoing), handguns allowed for finishing shots (follow-up of wounded animals).

Non-Military-Looking semi-Autos (both rifle and shotgun): see handgun licence

"normal" Rifles:
No special permit other than proof-of-age required for ownership, but need to be registered at gunshop.

Shotguns:
No special permit other than proof-of-age (18 min.) required for ownership.

Valid hunting permit required for carrying rifles and shotguns out in the fields.

Purchase of rifle & shotgun ammo: proof of age required.
Purchase of handgun ammo: Need to show valid licence (ownership or carrying licence) for purchase.

That's about it.

Regards, 500NE

Just to give a contrast from the USA, here goes the main points about gun ownership in the state of Ohio.

1) No license or permit required to buy any handgun, non-fully-automatic rifle, or shotgun with a barrel > 18 inches. If the firearm is purchased from a licensed dealer, the buyer must go through an instant FBI background check conducted over the telephone.

2) There are no restrictions on sales of guns between private citizens.

3) Concealed handgun permits freely available to anyone who does not fall under any of the disqualifying criteria (mostly being a convicted criminal). One DOES NOT need to prove a need when applying. The County Sheriff is REQUIRED to issue the permit if the applicant meets the clearly specified eligibility requirements.

4) Magazines with greater than a 30 round capacity are prohibited.

5) Fully automatic rifles and shotguns with barrels < 18 inches are available to those who can obtain a Federal license for them.

6) There are absolutely NO restrictions on the type, quantity, or caliber of ammunition that you may buy or possess.

7) There are no limits to the quantity of firearms you may own.

8) There are no specific storage restrictions or requirements, other than guns be somehow secured from unauthorized use.

Uk shotguns must have a barrel length of more than 24 inches.
Sound moderators are encouraged.
All firearms held in approved secure gunsafes.
Limits on buying and possessing expanding ammunition; when buying hunting bullets for reloading they're supposed to be endorsed on your firearm certificate.
You can own a shotgun at 15 but you can't buy one until you are 17!!!
Your not allowed any handguns in UK, yet London is trying to get Olympic Games. British pistol shooters have to go abroad to practice.

Here in Denmark we have no limit for how many huntingrifle one can have!. Reading on some of the "gunforums" over here, 50BMG is becoming popular!.Fullauto is banned amongst the civiliens, but semiauto rifles and shotguns can be optained!. Revolver and pistols up to .38cal but there are a few now and then who get permission to have .45 cals!. In blackpowder guns things are easier. no limitation for rifles and revolvers(frontstuffers, flintlocks, cap N`ball and cartridges)!. Crossbows and slingshots were banned in 1986, but can be optained on speciel permit!. Guncollecting isn`t all that hard either! All gun with make or model upto 1890 require only one fee, and then one can collect all he want to!. Guns made after 1890 require a fee per each gun!. When one holds a collertorspermit, he is not suppose to shoot them!

The information that Kokdyder exposed about firearms in Spain is not exact. We can "use" five rifles simultaneously, but we have no limit to own any amount of rifles, if you have the security measures to have the guns ( an alarm system, security boxes ...) In fact I own 7 rifles and a guy I met, has more than 50, all legally and ready to hunt. It is right that R-93 is extemly popular here. I think the main reason for this is the most popular type of hunting here: Drive in hunting. I don't like this type of firearm (I don't own any), but for drive in, hunting is handy, light (altought not strong and rough in my opinion) and many people who is not skilled to manage properly an conventional bolt, says you can repeat the shoot very fast, a quality needed in drive in hunting.

Full-Auto's, 50BMG, silencers, night-vision-scopes, and semiautomatics rifles with magazine capacity bigger than two rounds, are "weapons of war" and are banned.

There is a limit for shootguns (6 per person).

There is not any limit for caliber (with exception to 223, 308 militar type and 50 BMG, because they are considered as militar calibers) . You can own 308 winchester but the source of ammunition cannot be militar.

On the contrary we have all the restrictions for handloading, and in this moment, it is impossible to get rifle powder from a legal way in Spain. Most of the people in Spain seek powder in France, Portugal ...

Here´s what we have in Portugal

Shotguns : You can have as many as you want, including semi-autos, but the semi-autos must have the magazines limited to two rounds, all serial numbers are registered and all transactions must also be registered. Buck shot is not legal to hunt with. No restrictions on buying ammo for shotguns.

Rifles : No restriction on the number of rifles or caliber but, you must obtain a license for owning a rifle, semi autos are permitted only with two shots magazines, we must obtain a purchase authorization each time we want to buy a rifle or ammo for any of the rifles.
.22 rifles, are not legal to hunt with, and can only be had with a target shooting license, obtained through a shooting club.

Handguns : Can only be had for personal defence, pistols limited to 7.65mm and revolvers to .38 caliber with a 2" barrel, the smaller the caliber the longer the barrel can be,.32 revolvers and 6.35mm pistols can be had with 4" barrels.
9mm pistols are only to be used by police and military personnel.
This authorizations are very difficult to obtain, and you must justify the need for the gun.
.22 handguns can be had for target shooting purposes, the same way that the rifles.

All guns have a registration document, much like a car registration, with all the information’s about the gun and owner, that must be carried with the gun every time.

Interesting. As an add-on, I'm curious for those lands that require registration, must you renew them, and if so, is there cost involved?

In Germany, as a hunter registering on a Waffenbesitzkarte, once you've paid registration, there is no expiration (hooray! hope it stays that way). However, if you sell a weapon, it must be to someone who is eligible to register it, and you pay a few Euro registration fee to get it taken off. Same for new purchase, pay like Euro 17 to have one added on.

On the other hand, the Euro Waffenbesitzkarte does expire, I believe every 5 years, and costs some Euro to get renewed (I haven't renewed mine yet). Waidmannsheil, Dom.