A friend of mine likes going to shooting ranges and using the guns that the ranges provide. He decided that he would like to have his own gun when going to ranges instead of renting each time.
Can a non EU national, who has the right to live in Estonia, obtain a gun license (after having their background check cleared, does the first aid course, passes medical check, passes gun training course)?
I have not seen any restrictions towards that in the law, but I wanted to double-check for him.
https://www.politsei.ee/en/instructions/weapons-permits-for-individuals/acquisition-permit
3 comments
After Estonia joined the EU non citizens can obtain a firearms permit. But exams are still taken only in Estonian. You can hire a translator though.
AFAIK you can also be foreigner(EU or non-EU) with valid residency permission.
But iirc to obtain a gun you also have to have “gun buying permission” which demands you to approved eason to have it. For example if you want to own a gun for sporting then you must be a member of some sport shooting organization.
You need to have a residency permit, at least 18 y/o for long guns, 21y/o for handguns
All starts with the gun permit. After you pass you apply for acquisition permit. That one is easy, you do it online usually takes couple of days. Then you can go to a gun store and get a gun. Then you register it with the police departement.
One gun can be had even without a gun locker, but it has to be kept in a place that is not accessible by others. Police will visit you and be the judge of that, so start looking for a gun safe that is compatible with the law.
Becoming a member of sport shooting club usually becomes after you have a gun, because safety training courses usually assume you have a gun already.
So most sensible is to start with a handgun that is registered for self defence. You can also conceal carry it. If you register your weapon for sport (already member of a club) you can own larger amount of ammo 5000 rounds vs 200 rounds for self defence. Buying bulk is cheaper, but dont go for it if you casually shoot twice a mont. Eventually it gets boring and then it is time to go for the sport side of it