No country completely bans guns, but some have extremely strict laws and cultures where guns are rare, like Japan, China, South Korea, and the UK, with police often unarmed in places like the UK (except NI), New Zealand, Iceland, Ireland, and Norway, relying on community policing and low gun violence rates, though specialized armed units exist.
In eighteen countries or territories, the police do not carry firearms unless the situation is expected to merit it: Botswana, Cook Islands, Fiji, Iceland, Ireland, Kiribati, Malawi, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, the United Kingdom (except for Northern Ireland), the ...
Now that you have a little idea of what's involved in gun ownership when moving overseas, here are the 10 countries with the friendliest gun laws:
Only if you purchase a weapon, you must send the sales contract to your cantonal weapons office within 30 days. If you are a foreign national without a settlement permit, you require a weapons acquisition permit for all types of weapon and their essential components (e.g. the barrel or casing).
Most police officers in the UK do not routinely carry firearms. Where firearms support is needed, it is carried out by specially trained and accredited firearms officers known as authorised firearms officers (AFOs). In the Met, firearms support is primarily provided by MO19 Specialist Firearms Command.
State police officers and Australian Federal Police officers routinely carry firearms, other state and federal law enforcement officers may carry firearms or other items for personal defence depending on their agency or the condition in which they're deployed.
Based in all four Garda regions in the country, Gardaí attached to an ASU unit carry a combination of lethal firearms and non-lethal weapons, as opposed to regular uniformed Gardaí, who are unarmed, and detective gardaí, who are armed but not assigned to ASU roles.
1. United States — The Gun Capital of the World. With over 393 million firearms owned by civilians, more than its population, the US tops the list by a massive margin. Gun rights are enshrined in the Second Amendment, and ownership ranges from hunting rifles to military-grade semi-automatics.
General firearms ownership
The ownership of firearms is restricted in Norway, firearms licenses are issued by the Norwegian police on a may issue basis. However, in practice almost all applicants are granted firearms licenses (e.g. 98.3% of firearm license application were granted in 2017).
The United States leads by a wide margin, with more guns than people, averaging over 120 guns per 100 residents. Other high-ownership nations include Canada, Finland, Norway, and Switzerland, where firearm culture is often tied to hunting and national defense.
#1 New Hampshire. New Hampshire is a Constitutional Carry state with incredibly relaxed gun laws and low crime rates. Any citizen over 18 years old who is lawfully permitted to possess a firearm can open and concealed carry. New Hampshire residents can travel to 29 other states with a pistol and revolver license.
In the United Kingdom, you do not need a licence if you own a legal limit air rifle with a muzzle energy below a certain threshold (generally below 12 ft/lb).
According to the law, the firearm must be appropriate for the stated purpose, but evaluating this is largely left to the discretion of the police. For example, while an AR-15 is suitable for practical shooting, the police may consider one inappropriate for hunting. A valid hunting permit is expected.
For instance, some countries may ban assault weapons. Mexico, Guatemala, and the United States stand out because they have made gun ownership a constitutional right. Thus, they can be called the most gun-friendly countries or the countries with the easiest gun laws in the world.
Norway's police force is one of the few in the world where officers do not routinely carry guns as they carry out their duties.
Federally designated areas where weapons are banned, even with a permit: Federal Courthouses* Federal Buildings* Any Building Owned, Leased or Rented by the Federal Government — This includes buildings in national forests which are property of the federal government.
To buy a firearm in France, in line with the European Firearms Directive, a hunting license or a shooting sport license is necessary depending on the type, function and magazine capacity of the weapon.
If you want to import firearms permanently into Sweden for private use, such as for hunting or target-shooting purposes, you must apply for a permit (license) to possess firearms in Sweden.
The top 10 most powerful countries by military strength in 2025, according to the Global Firepower Index, are:
Finland is a country of hunters and gun enthusiasts. There are approximately 460,000 licence holders and slightly under 1.5 million licensed firearms in Finland.
Rates of Gun Ownership by State
Wyoming has the highest rate of gun ownership, with an estimated 66 firearms per 100 residents. Massachusetts and New Jersey share the lowest rate at 14.7 firearms for every 100 residents.
In citing Ireland as a 'most favoured country' in a comparison of western crime rates, Ted Robert Gurr in 1979 speculated in passing that 'its relatively low volume of crime may be credited to its Gaelic culture, religious traditionalism, or simply its small urban population'3.
In the United Kingdom, police firearm policy varies by constituent countries. In Northern Ireland, all police officers carry firearms whereas in the rest of the United Kingdom, firearms are carried only by specially-trained firearms officers.
Law enforcement in Ireland
It is commonly referred to as “Garda”. Some of the core functions of An Garda Síochána include crime prevention, detection and investigation, as well as national security, road security and community policing.