Should Cruisers Carry Guns?

I grew up learning to shoot and have hunted a bit with rifles and shotguns. And we have cruised in some of the world’s least developed areas, countries where civil war and failed governments make life ashore uncertain.  As fate would have it, the only time we have had our boat robbed was in Ft. Lauderdale. But many other cruisers have not been so lucky. The question we’ve faced over the years was whether or not we should carry guns on the boat as we cruised the world? There is no easy answer since the pros of being able to defend yourself have to be weighed with the cons of transporting a gun to foreign countries where private gun ownership is highly controlled or even banned. So, if you are cruising across the South Pacific and enter French Polynesia in the Marquesas, where your guns will be impounded by the gendarms, and plan to check out in Bora Bora 1,500 miles away, how do you get the guns back? The same problem arises in many countries. And, if you decide not to turn in your guns and have to use them in self defense in a foreign country, you will likely be treated as the criminal instead of a victim by authorities. So, we have decided not to carry guns with us and have made use of other types of self defense strategies, including machetes, Mace, bear spray, bright deck lights, air horns, carpet tacks and sturdy locks.  How you have solved this problem or are planning to so if and when you head off on a foreign cruise. Email me at:  george@bwsailing.com