Cyprus-Forum.com

[purdey]

I believe they are still made in Larnaca. Not sure about legallity of shot size (most shells are light loads for clays or song birds)but I know there is still a demand for the Brenneke slug. There are still thousands of old Eley cartridges on the island (from the fifties- sixties) the BB and the maximum are still found in great numbers.

[Novus]

Wow! Slugs are allowed and Cyprus doesn't allow rifles??? Seems to be quite a conflict in logic there.
What about slug barrels for the shotgun? Or would that not be allowed because they would then be rifles? How about rifled chokes?

Some slugs are pretty darn accurate. Are saboted slugs sold in Cyprus?

[purdey]

Now I am not sure if slugs are legal in Cyprus but I know they are used especially on the hare. As for slug barrels the same applies, I am sure if you look hard enough in Cyprus you would find a vast array of weapons and ammunition.

[Nikitas]

Relying on the published response of the Police Chief after a recent accident I gather that anything larger than 0 is not allowed, neither are slugs. Perhaps they are made for export, but not for local use.

Slug barrels are allowed as long as they are smooth, since they are then suitable for woodcock, quail etc.

Using slugs for hare leads to the inevitable question, what are Cypriot hunters thinking!

Slugs are used in Greece for wild boar, feral goats (allowed on some islands) moufflon, wild goat, and occasionally fox. I have never heard of anyone using them on hare. I think Cypriots coming to Athens for weekends and holidays buy the slugs here, obviously thinking that if they are good enough for boar they must be dandy for hare.

[Novus]

Yeah, I've heard some stories. I wonder though, how serious is it if caught with an illegal firearm in Cyprus? I imagine that if you are Cypriot the police will not do anything, but what about for foreigners?

Personally I think Cyprus should change the draconian colonial firearms laws to something more reasonable and common sense. If guns of all types are abound on the island and yet there is almost no violent crime, then what is the rationale for continuing to prevent legal ownership of most of them?

Is there a way I can see an English version of Cypriot firearms law? I think I looked before but was frustrated.

[Nikitas]

Firearm offences are very serious. They are felonies that attract jail time and get you a record, regardless of whether you are a Cypriot or not. Poaching is also a a crime and the penalties can be ferocious.

Rifle use for hunting and target shooting depends a great deal on a community having a tradition with rifles. When there is a tradition there are the inbuilt taboos, like NEVER taking a shot unless you are sure of your backstop. People used to shotguns are prone to shoot a rifle into the air and that is simply inviting disasters. This holds true despite widespread military training where the sergeant is on top of you all the time to make sure you observe safety rules.

Let us keep it to shotguns and air rifles for the time being. In any case, Cyprus has no big game needing rifles. Not that I would mind a double rifle chambered for the 30-30 for boar.

[Novus]

Relying on the published response of the Police Chief after a recent accident I gather that anything larger than 0 is not allowed, neither are slugs. Perhaps they are made for export, but not for local use.

Slug barrels are allowed as long as they are smooth, since they are then suitable for woodcock, quail etc.

Using slugs for hare leads to the inevitable question, what are Cypriot hunters thinking!

Slugs are used in Greece for wild boar, feral goats (allowed on some islands) moufflon, wild goat, and occasionally fox. I have never heard of anyone using them on hare. I think Cypriots coming to Athens for weekends and holidays buy the slugs here, obviously thinking that if they are good enough for boar they must be dandy for hare.

I guess .410 bore slugs would be ok for hare at 50 yards??

When you say 0 is ok, are you talking about single aught buck (0 buckshot).

Can shotguns be used for self defense in the home in Cyprus? I mean I know it is incredibly rare in Cyprus for there to be a home invasion and subsequent attack, but can someone keep a shotgun in the home ready just in case? What if it was used for self defense? Is that legal?

[Nikitas]

Firearms law is simple. NO handguns of any kind are allowed. Exception is target air pistols used only in official air pistol ranges and only for 10 meter Olympic style pistol.

Firearms are limited to shoulderable smooth bores, single or double. No repeaters or autos allowed. Not even two shot repeaters.

Air rifles are allowed but only in 0.177 (4.5 mm) caliber.

Both shotguns and air rifles are licensed by the police. A license is fairly inexpensive and is issued in one day.

[Novus]

Firearm offences are very serious. They are felonies that attract jail time and get you a record, regardless of whether you are a Cypriot or not. Poaching is also a a crime and the penalties can be ferocious.

Rifle use for hunting and target shooting depends a great deal on a community having a tradition with rifles. When there is a tradition there are the inbuilt taboos, like NEVER taking a shot unless you are sure of your backstop. People used to shotguns are prone to shoot a rifle into the air and that is simply inviting disasters. This holds true despite widespread military training where the sergeant is on top of you all the time to make sure you observe safety rules.

Let us keep it to shotguns and air rifles for the time being. In any case, Cyprus has no big game needing rifles. Not that I would mind a double rifle chambered for the 30-30 for boar.

I see, but what is the rationale for keeping handguns illegal? At the least allow cap and ball revolvers. Even if fired in the air the ball shape would lose velocity rather fast.

By the way, when you say serious criminally, do you mean European serious, or US serious? I mean are we talking months compared to years in sentence to prison? I mean a serious, but non-violent firearms "felony" (the word "felony" varies wildly from US state to US state) here would garner for a first time offender maybe a few years sentence with all suspended but a few months and have three to five years supervised probation. A second offence would garner the suspended sentence on top of an additional few years.

[Novus]

Firearms law is simple. NO handguns of any kind are allowed. Exception is target air pistols used only in official air pistol ranges and only for 10 meter Olympic style pistol.

Firearms are limited to shoulderable smooth bores, single or double. No repeaters or autos allowed. Not even two shot repeaters.

Air rifles are allowed but only in 0.177 (4.5 mm) caliber.

Both shotguns and air rifles are licensed by the police. A license is fairly inexpensive and is issued in one day.

I am a great fan of the esoteric when it comes to firearms laws. You would be shocked at what exceptions and wholes in laws there are when dealing with firearms. But even if there are no gaps or exceptions, knowing the wording and language used is inherent to the work needed to get the law changed.