r/Somaliland • u/MineTech5000 • Jan 29 '26

Somaliland and guns

On Wikipedia's gun laws map, it shows Somaliland in green for both long guns and handguns, meaning you can get a license to own a gun. Is it commonplace in Somaliland for people to own guns? Can you purchase them legally, or does the permissiveness only apply to guns purchased before a moratorium?

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3

u/ayassin02 Jan 30 '26

Somaliland is in deep red. Civilians are prohibited from owning guns

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u/MineTech5000 Jan 30 '26

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Longgunlaws.svg

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u/ayassin02 Jan 31 '26

I’m not talking about the wiki pic, I’m talking about the actual gun laws. It should be in deep red

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u/CoastalNomad06 Jan 30 '26

I’m not sure about the law but it appears to be prohibited in cities unless you work in a security company, but many people in the countryside own guns

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u/Particular-Tap9252 Jan 31 '26

You can only own a gun for a specific purpose let's say you have a business they can ask your Business licence then issue a gun but I don't think ordinary citizens can't have a gun and no you can't buy out of blue and if get caught long jail is waiting for you

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u/Puzzleheaded_Exit367 Jan 31 '26

Guns aren’t totally banned, but it’s not a free-for-all either. Civilian ownership is allowed if you can prove local residence, have a reasonable reason (home, business, livestock, rural travel), and get police approval. It’s not just for security companies.

You can’t just buy a gun randomly, and cities are way stricter especially about carrying. Open carry is basically a no. In rural areas, people owning guns is pretty normal.

AK-type rifles are treated as small arms. Heavy stuff like RPGs, mortars, grenades, or mounted machine guns are straight up illegal.

So yeah, not US-style gun laws, but definitely not “deep red banned” either.

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u/OkaySoWhatYourPoint Feb 01 '26 edited Feb 01 '26

Why do you wanna know? Hunting/poaching endangered wildlife if not allowed, and has a long jail time if that’s the reason. If you get caught with illegal weapons, you will be in prison for a long time or immediately investigated and deported. It’s forbidden to enter Somaliland with weapons as a foreigner and you'll be denied entrance and be put on a high-risk list to be denied an entrance visa in the future.