Hey Everyone,
Im looking for some advice. Im planning a trip through South America alone, and maybe its only because Im an American, but Im wondering if I should bring my gun. Ive heard plenty of stories about robbings and even worse kidnappings so Im just wondering if anyone has any information or advice on this subject.

The only protection you should bring are condoms. Leave the gun at home.

Don't even think about it!

Depending on several factors, the unlawful possession of a concealable firearm is either a misdemeanor or felony in the US. The unlawful possession of a prohibited weapon is a felony - state prison bro!

In Mexico and other countries it might as well be a life sentence, with no parole, no appeal, throw away the key, etc.

Don't even think about. Go on your trip, enjoy yourself and the people you meet.

please please please don't do that man!

The question has been asked many times and I promise you that the response has always been: NO!

Bringing a gun not only endangers yourself, it also endangers all the travellers coming after you since robbers might start shooting first and asking qustions later.
If you get robbed and pull your gun and start shooting you will be in trouble to up over your head.
Guns are illigal down here in CA and SA and the police will not look kindly on you.

I think that most of South America is safer than many parts of the states and personally I have had no problems whatsoever.

People who get robbed down here are either incredibly unlucky og really dumb. Walking alone at night in big cities is a classic and that is dangerous all over the world. Actually I think that many places in London or Paris are far more dangerous at night than places down here...

It is a fair question, but you will probably be scolded for it because most travellers here are very much against the idea. With good reason I would add.

__________________
Peter Kongsbak
South East Asia, USA, Central and South America and Scandinavia.

You can get a neat little 32 caliber derringer that is smaller than a pack of smokes for about $60. Hide it really well, and leave the scene as soon as you pop a cap in somebody's ass. Don't listen to these Europeans and pacifists.

Nobody messes with the USA!!!

I hope you are joking Max, otherwise I am quite lost for words...

__________________
Peter Kongsbak
South East Asia, USA, Central and South America and Scandinavia.

wow yeah........... hope so too........

well Max... I suggest you rather stay at home and play cow boy in your back garden scaring squirl's.......... keep watching TV instead of thinking leaving your home town.......

I fare the Pisa study is right in some way........... oh dear... who is saving the world now ? ohhh yes "Team America" is on its way....... quick.... every one hiding......

__________________
The trouble is that he was talking in philosophy, but they were listening in gibberish.

I think Ted Simon covered this off best - he says that carrying a weapon of any kind is just an invitation to have to use it.

To my mind pulling a weapon is a sure way to escalate the situation rather than calm it and get out of it alive, or without having had to injure or kill someone else - in very few situations will you pulling your weapon cause the people on the other side to run away.

More often than not the best way to deal with the most dangerous of situations is to smile, take off your sun glasses and engage.

I know us Europeans are so much more soft and squiggy than our American cousins.... but I think it's a point of view that exports itself around the world rather better than a gun-ho approach.

__________________
------------------
http://thelondonbiker.com/blog

Watch some of my camp cooking videos

AIM: mattcashmore
SKYPE: matthewcashmore
MSN: matthew@matthewcashmore.com

well yes... we are grown up since the time of Neanderthals.... Europeans developed what most human commonly call diplomatic intelligent, rather than mixing up reality with Hollywood's patriotic diarrhea ..........

__________________
The trouble is that he was talking in philosophy, but they were listening in gibberish.

Max,
WhTF have you been travelling that you feel you've needed a gun?!?!

Your rhethoric sounds dandy within the forum, but in reality...you'll get this guy in some deep shiiite with your ignorant rhetoric.

Sorry but I'm not gonna mince words on this one...

IF you carry a gun outside the friendly confines of the USA, you better be prepared to kill someone and deal with the consequences-if you pull it out.
If you're not, that doesn't make you a pacifist...it makes you courageous enough to deal with situations without the crutch of weapon.

__________________
edde
93 BMW K75s
www.motoedde.com

Cobra Enterprises

Small, easy to conceal, and very accurate up close. Got out of an interesting predicament in Guatemala because I had it in my pocket. Won't say more.

Some words the British like using are, you FING TWAT

Warthog and AndyT are right - from a US perspective, it's a reasonable question. Most of us know that guns are a normal part of everyday life, up and down the Americas. Many of us have friends, expats and citizens, who have guns in their homes, in their businesses, sometimes on their hips. Culturally, it can be a bit odd for us, but that's part of travel, no? And even this European castrati appeaser red gets a kick out of letting off a few rounds in a Nicaraguan backyard every now and then. Bangs are fun. Cordite smells exciting. Coconut shies are made for Colt Commanders.

But that wasn't what created the stir. The noisy reaction was to one poster talking gleefully about murdering another human, both here and in another thread, in a tale smudged with sniggering smilies and home-run high fives. He's either a childish fantasist, a genuine killer, or a divisive troll. Whatever the answer, he's not the kind of fella who's gonna be especially helpful round here. My angry, abusive words were admittedly fuelled by a dozen pints of Guinness, and I'm sorry about the mess that the mods must have found in the morning, but this really ain't the place for that kind of vigilante dick-swinging.

And back to the original question, just in case it was genuine. It's a really bad idea to cross borders, travel foreign countries with an unregistered, concealed weapon. If you get caught, you'll do hard time in a very unpleasant nick. If you don't get caught (which means the gun's stashed, inaccessible and consequently useless), you'll still be worrying about getting caught everytime you see a roadblock, and that will eat into the trip's smiles. And if you get in a situation where you have to use it - well, as has been said - you'll either use it decisively, and have to deal with the corpse and the clean-up, or you'll have it swiped and stuck up your ass. Which will be like being in that unpleasant nick, but without the tenderness...

Make the trip, forget the gun, move quickly through the seedier border towns that spawn the lurid headlines, dive into the Mexican interior and have the un-armed time of your life.

Suerte, Dan

__________________
Que el cielo exista, aunque mi lugar sea el infierno...

How about the Vietnamese? Remember those scenes of the US ambassador clinging to a helicopter as he fled the scene of the crime in Saigon?

I'm sorry but after reading this I had to register just so I could say something about this one.....


Max.... You can bring an Apache Attack helicopter with you and you will be the first to get robbed and/or beat up because of your attitude, and maybe also show you where exactly you can stick your gun there, terminator....

I am an american citizen but lived in Argentina since 76, I feel as though I was born in Argentina and not the us..
(I am an illegal alien here.... but don't say nothing... shhhh)

I NEVER got robbed in Argentina, ANYWHERE. And I look more gringo than anything else around here.
What these thugs hate the most is some yoyo acting like he owns their land ,specially the ones who like to stick their chest out at foreign people and say Please guy.... stay out of Argentina and go to Iraq if you wanna show off your guns if it makes you feel any more powerful...

The best advice I can give anyone reading this thread is this:

If you're planning a trip through Argentina all you need is a positive attitude, be friendly, DON'T ACT LIKE GOD SENT YOU TO SHOW YOU'RE BETTER THAN THEM JUST BECAUSE YOU HAPPEN TO BE FROM THE US, try to figure out the bad neighborhoods and stay out of them, (you can usually tell bad spots from good ones... I could imagine this white boy walking around the bronx at 3am, I wouldnt last a minute) If possible, have another biker riding along with you, (Mostly in case of breakdowns, running out of gas, or just to be able to share the experience with someone else.... not like the guy who shot a hole in one from 900 yards and no one was there to witness it!!!
Explore the towns, go into the stores, talk to people...
People are good by nature and mean no harm to you and will help you whenever possible.
Go to Villa Gesell, which is located about 300 kilometers south of Buenos Aires, between the months of December and April... Specially if your riding a dual sport such as an African twin, or an xr650l etc.... But it doesnt matter if your riding a cruiser or a crotch rocket, there is lots of paved streets, sand and beach for you to enjoy...

Don't have lots of cash on you, always have small denominations in Pesos at the ready for smokes, gas, food, parts, etc...

And that's it...
I guarantee you you will have the time of your life if you would just relax and enjoy the trip.