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Date Published: 16/02/2023

ARCHIVED - Gun ownership grows by 38 per cent in Spain as an effective solution against squatting

ARCHIVED ARTICLE -

If you legally keep a gun in Spain, the police can immediately evict squatters to ensure public safety

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Gun ownership grows by 38 per cent in Spain as an effective solution against squatting

While weapon ownership in Spain is nowhere near the levels of the United States and the crime rate remains relatively low by European standards, the number of gun licences granted in 2022 still ballooned by 38%, with the vast majority of private citizens opting for pistols and revolvers.

Thus, more than 8,900 firearms are currently in legal circulation in Spain. This may seem like a high number, but it’s nothing compared to the incredible 120 guns per 100 people in America.

There are five different types of licences in Spain, ranging from activities such as hunting to sport shooting and private use, but those in the know attribute the enormous increase in weapons to the corresponding growth in the number of squatters in this country.

Squatting has long been the scourge of Spain, with second-home owners and those living some of the time abroad particularly vulnerable to okupas.

The number of squatters in the Valencian Community grew by 23.66% last year, while Catalonia registered 4,639 cases in the first seven months of 2022, more than 40% of the total in Spain.

Homeowners are often tied up in knots by the law which seems to favour the rights of the squatters, and the police are equally powerless to act without a lengthy and expensive court battle.

But here’s the crunch point that few people are aware of: if you are a registered firearm owner and the house in which the gun is stored is illegally occupied by squatters, the Guardia Civil can immediately enter that property and evict the unauthorised ‘guests’ without preamble. This is because it’s considered a serious risk for unlicensed persons to have access to weapons, and it’s a threat to public safety. The catch is that the gun must be locked up in an officially sanctioned gun closet.

It’s common knowledge that squatting is a growing problem in Spain, but this legal loophole is giving the upper hand to more homeowners than ever.

In other news: Foreigners who enroll in a Vocational Training course in Spain will be granted temporary residency

Image: Pixabay

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