Should You Carry a Weapon in a Dangerous Country?

This question seems to pop up among travellers who want to go to places that might be considered a little adventurous so I thought I would add a few thoughts. Let’s get this really straight right up front so there is no confusion.

Photo by Stephen Poff

Carrying a weapon in a foreign country is dumb.

So why do I say that? Surely it’s a bit of added personal protection against the bad guys, right? Well…

When You Carry a Weapon You Make Yourself a Target – This is especially true in hostile environments. If everyone around you is carrying guns and shooting each other, then they will logically regard anybody else with a firearm as the most likely potential threat. When a man with a gun regards you as a threat, your chances of getting assaulted or worse by that man take a huge leap. You want to be the very last “threat” he is thinking about.

You Probably Cannot Use it Anyway – Weapons have a habit of making us think we’re invincible. The problem is that most of us are just as likely to shoot ourselves in the foot or cut our finger off as we are to do serious damage with a weapon against an attacker. And the problem with any weapon is that if it gets taken from you, it can (and probably will) be used against you.

Photo by Gregory Kowalski

It Will Get You Into Trouble – When you get detained (and you almost certainly will at some point) you’re going to have to explain to the local authorities why you are carrying a weapon. At the very least, that will send the amount you will have to bribe them through the roof. At the worst, it will land you in jail for a significant stint of time. And if you were actually dumb enough to use it one someone… well, most of these places still have corporal and capital punishment. While it’s great to act out Steven Segal fantasies of you against the bad guys in your head, you probably aren’t really prepared for the real legal consequences of doing that in real life. And third world jails aren’t much fun.

You Already Have Weapons – If you’re like most travellers, you’re already probably carrying a pocket knife and a torch (I like big heavy Maglites). Neither of these items will usually be considered “threatening” by many people, but both of them can do some serious damage in the hands of a motivated user. Remember though, they can also be taken and used against you!

Photo by Jugbo

Your Biggest Weapons Are These – You want to take an open mind, a really big cheesy smile and a packet of smokes. These three things are FAR more likely to get you out of any sticky situations in the third world than a weapon. It’s much better to be considered a naive tourist than a threat.

So look, I am not saying don’t defend yourself when push comes to shove, but trust me when I tell you that you should be far more interested in diffusing these situations by peaceful means than you would perhaps be in your home country. After all, only dickheads travel overseas to start fights with locals.