Icelandic Free State Project

[Yandros]

http://icelandfreestate.org/

Seeking expressions of interest in this project...

(Cross post from: http://forum.freekeene.com/index.php?topic=3493.0)

[Lex]

What is the gun ownership climate up there like? Can I own a rifle, handgun, tank or fighter jet?

Would this quote from wikipedia possibly explain why there is such a low population: "Approximately three-quarters of the island are barren of vegetation"

I'm assuming that if it's hard for vegetation to occupy the island it would be equally difficult for humans to live there... especially the remote areas that were suggested on the front page of the Iceland Free State Project website.

[AntonLee]

the Iceland FSP Next 1000 project coming soon

[Lex]

The gun situation looks pretty bad. Heck, you can't even own a knife without providing a reason for owning it. Here is a post on another forum about this subject:

Excerpts from the weapons law:

Nobody can import firearms, ammunition, explosives or fireworks without a license from the state chief of police. A license to trade with firearms, ammunition, explosives or fireworks also includes a license to import.

The state chief of police is allowed to grant those who have a firearms license the license to import firearms and ammunitions for their own use according to stipulations set by the minister.

It is forbidden to import or manufacture firearms that do not bear a serial number from the manufacturer. The state chief of police can overlook that if the firearm has undisputable value as a collectors item or if the applicant is a farmer or veteranarian and the firearm is a one shot, short barrel gun, 22 cal. or less intended for killing livestock.

It is forbidden to import or manufacture automatic or semi-automatic handguns, automatic or semi-automatic rifles, automatic shotguns, semi-automatic or hand loaded multi-shot shotgun with chambers taking more than 2 shots unless it has been altered.

Import and manufacturing of replicas is forbidden if they are hard to distinguish from the original.

Whoever has a license to trade firearms etc. can not sell or in other way hand over a product to others than those who show they are licensed to buy the product. It is forbidden to sell or hand over ammunition that is meant for other weapons than the buyer is licensed to use.

Nobody can own or use firearms unless they have a firearms license. The license is granted by the local chief of police where the applicant resides. The chief of police is allowed to give exemption for license to those who are practising marksmanship with a recognized gun club in a recognized practise area.

A firearms license should be in writing. It should state the name, ID number and address of the holder. It should include a recent picture of the holder. It should list in detail what kind of firearms the holder is licensed to use. It should list all firearms owned by the holder, make, caliber, maximum number of shots and the serial number. The chief of police may set special conditions for a license if he/she thinks it's necessary.

A firearms license should not be issued for more than 10 years at a time or for less time if there is a reason for that. When renewing a firearms license, the chief of police may test the skills of the holder if he/she feels there is a reason to do so.

A license can be granted for firearms to hunt, for marksmanship or for show and collection. Applicant should clarify which kind of license he is applying for. The conditions to granting a firearms license are to be at least 20 years old and have not been stripped of your autonomy (it's possible to overlook the age restriction for marksmanship), to have a clean record to the penal code, laws on alcohol and drugs, laws on hunting and preservation and the gun laws, to have the necessary skills to handle firearms, to be of sound mind and otherwise competent to handle firearms.

The chief of police can grant a firearms license even though applicant does not have a clean record if his violation was minor or a long time since it occurred.

Applicants for firearms licenses shall take a course in handling and using firearms. The minister will set stipulations for these courses and exams. The chief of police can grant a person who resides overseas a temporary license for a firearm.

The owner of a firearm is not allowed to sell, give or hand over his/her firearm without making sure that the person he/she is handing it over to shows that he/she is licensed to own and use it.

Whoever handles or uses firearms should be able to show a firearms license when requested by the police. If he/she can not, the police may confiscate the weapon temporarily until the license is shown. If the weapon was borrowed or rented, a written permission from the owner of the weapon is also required.

Whoever handles or uses firearms should always be extremely careful. It is forbidden to carry firearms in public. When carrying or transporting firearms between locations, they should be unloaded and covered. It is forbidden to carry them concealed under clothes.

Those under the influence of alcohol or other drugs are forbidden to use firearms. When there is reason to believe that somebody is doing so, the police may take them in for medical testing, including blood samples and urine samples and they must comply with that.

It is forbidden to shoot on a road, over a road, from a vehicle, in public or otherwise where it could be dangerous unless it's absolutely necessary.

It is forbidden to shoot on another mans land or shooting over another mans land without permission from the landowner or farmer unless the law says otherwise. There will be no charges filed on that unless filed by the landowner.

The owner or keeper of a firearm and ammunition will be responsible for keeping them in such a way that others can not get to them. When firearms and ammunition are not being used, firearms on one hand and ammunition on the other shall be kept separately and under lock and key. The minister will set stipulations on the safe keeping of firearms and ammunition.

On other weapons. You are not allowed to have switchblades, swords, butterfly knifes, knuckle irons, tazers, ninja stars, crossbows, longbows (except for sports) or any knife with a blade longer than 12cm unless intended for household use or work. These things if caught would be confiscated by the police. You are not allowed to carry a knife in public unless necessary for work or hunting.

Source: http://www.malefnin.com/ib/index.php?s=&showtopic=51794&view=findpost&p=600494

[AntonLee]

I think I'll stay here for now.   

[Yandros]

What is the gun ownership climate up there like? Can I own a rifle, handgun, tank or fighter jet?

I believe about a third of the population own rifles. Hand-guns appear to be outlawed.

As I posted elsewhere, there are already more NH free-staters living in NH than there are police in the whole of Iceland, and they have no military. Not to mention the east is sparsely populated, so I doubt ownership would be much challenged.

Remember this is a country of 300,000 people. That's less than 4% of the population of NYC for the entire island.