Arms / A2
Handgun at home
The person wants to buy a 9mm handgun and keep it loaded at home for self-defence.
What we score
What must they do to own it and keep it loaded, and is self-defence an accepted reason?
Default assumptions: Unless a vignette says otherwise, the person is a 30-year-old citizen of sound mind with no criminal record, acting alone, on their own behalf and not for profit, in an ordinary residential area. Where subnational units (states, provinces, cantons, Länder) make their own law, each unit is scored and the result is weighted by population. 'The state' includes police, prosecutors, courts, regulators, tax authorities and anyone acting on their orders, including platforms obeying takedown orders.
Score anchors
Both the law score and the practice score use these anchors. Half points are used when a country sits between two of them.
| Score | What it means for this vignette |
|---|---|
| 10 | No licence, check or storage rule. |
| 8 | Background check or registration; may keep it loaded. |
| 6 | Shall-issue licence; self-defence accepted; storage rules allow quick access. |
| 4 | Licence only for sport or hunting (self-defence not accepted), or storage rules forbid a loaded gun. |
| 3 | Banned; administrative offence. |
| 2 | Banned; crime, under 1 year. |
| 1 | Banned; 1 to 5 years. |
| 0 | Banned; over 5 years. |
Evidence used: Handgun licensing, accepted reasons, safe-storage law; penalties for unlicensed possession.
How each country scores
| Country | Law | Practice | Process | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7.0 | Handgun possession for home self-defence is a constitutional right, and storage rules that make the gun unusable for self-defence are unconstitutional (District of Columbia v. Heller, 2008). Most states need only a NICS check at a dealer (8). About 30% of the population lives in states with a licence or permit to buy (NY, NJ, IL FOID, MA, MD HQL, CT, HI, MI). These are shall-issue but cost fees and can take weeks to months, and some add locked-storage rules (scored 6). Self-defence is accepted everywhere. |
| Czechia | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6.0 | Under Act 90/2024 § 50, a holder of a general firearms authorisation (an objective test of exam, health and integrity) gets an R3 permit on request for 'protection of life, health or property', so self-defence is an accepted reason. The storage duty (§§ 83-84) applies only to guns outside the owner's immediate control, so a loaded gun at hand at home is lawful. Unlicensed possession is a crime (§ 279, up to 2 years). |
| Switzerland | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6.0 | A handgun requires a cantonal weapon acquisition permit (Art. 8), issued to adults without disqualifying convictions or danger indicators. A reason must be stated only if the gun is not for sport, hunting or collecting, and self-defence is accepted. Storage must be 'safe' and protected from unauthorised access (Art. 26), with no rule against keeping it loaded; breach is a fine (Art. 34). Unlicensed possession carries up to 3 years (Art. 33). |
| Netherlands | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4.0 | A handgun needs a verlof under art. 28 Wwm, granted only for a 'reasonable interest', in practice target shooting through a recognised club; self-defence is not accepted. Licensed guns may be kept only for sport use, so a loaded home-defence gun is not lawful. Unlicensed possession of a handgun carries up to 8 years (art. 55(3)(a)). |
| Germany | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4.0 | Handguns are licensed only for sport shooters, hunters and similar needs. Self-defence counts only if the person is 'substantially more endangered than the general public' (§ 19 WaffG), which ordinary residents cannot show. Owning a semi-automatic handgun without a licence is a crime with 6 months to 5 years (§ 52(1) Nr. 2b WaffG). |
| Denmark | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4.0 | A pistol can be owned only by a member of an approved shooting club, with a weapon endorsement given after police consent in each case (BEK 2531/2021 §§ 7-9); self-defence is not accepted. Pistols are 'especially dangerous weapons' that must be kept in a certified safe bolted down, with ammunition also locked (§ 24), so a loaded gun at hand is unlawful. |
| New Zealand | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4.0 | Pistols need a firearms licence plus an endorsement and a permit to possess (Arms Act 2026 s21). Endorsements are available to pistol-club members for target shooting, collectors and heirloom holders; self-defence is not a ground, and licence holders must follow secure-storage rules. Unauthorised possession of a pistol carries up to 7 years (s21(6)). |
| Singapore | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.0 | Self-defence is not a valid licensing purpose, and SPF states guns must be stored only in an approved armoury, so a loaded handgun at home cannot be lawful. Unlicensed possession is punished under GEWCA s17 with up to 5 years (prohibited gun) or 36 months, plus a fine, and imprisonment is mandatory. Carrying a gun with intent to injure or frighten anyone is punished under Arms Offences Act s3 with 5 to 10 years and at least 6 strokes. |
| Mexico | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.6 | LFAFE art. 9 (as reformed in May 2025) allows home possession for self-defence only of pistols up to .380 (9x17mm) and revolvers up to .38 Special. 9mm Parabellum pistols are reserved for the armed forces (art. 11(b)). Possessing one carries 4-7 years (art. 83 Ter II), and art. 92 makes it a mandatory pretrial-detention offence. A .380 can be bought from the army store and must be registered (arts. 15-17); this lawful substitute is why practice scores slightly above law. |
| United Kingdom | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | Handguns (barrel under 30 cm or overall length under 60 cm) have been prohibited in Great Britain since 1997 (Firearms Act 1968 s5(1)(aba)), with a 5-year mandatory minimum for possession. In Northern Ireland (about 3% of the population) target-shooting handguns can be held on a firearm certificate, but self-defence is accepted only for a 'personal protection weapon' where PSNI finds a verifiable specific risk to life. Weighted, that rounds to 0. |
| Ireland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | Firearms Act 1925 s3D (from 2009) bars applications for certificates for short firearms except blank-firing guns, a narrow class of target pistols specified in S.I. 21/2008 and guns already licensed before 19 November 2008, so a new 9mm handgun cannot be licensed. Self-defence is not an accepted reason for any firearm certificate. Unlicensed possession of a restricted firearm carries up to 7 years (s2(2A)), and possession in suspicious circumstances under Firearms Act 1964 s27A carries up to 14 years with a 5-year presumptive minimum. |