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Hey, is it legal for a Western Expat to own a firearm in Cambodia? I can't find any reliable information online. If so, what is legal and what is not? ( I know rocket launchers and heavy machine guns are obviously illegal for the civilian)

Simple answer...NO. Even possession of air soft, bb guns, etc is illegal.

Edit: Unless you're wealthy enough to purchase citizenship and a position in the police or armed forces.

PSD-Kiwi wrote:Simple answer...NO. Even possession of air soft, bb guns, etc is illegal.

Edit: Unless you're wealthy enough to purchase citizenship and a position in the police or armed forces.

Yes for citizenship but there is no need for the position.
Gun ownership/carry firearms do exist but since they are currently under scrutiny, very difficult to obtain.
I informally applied for one last year but was told better to wait after next elections + very difficult without a company implying risky business.

PSD-Kiwi wrote:Simple answer...NO. Even possession of air soft, bb guns, etc is illegal.

Edit: Unless you're wealthy enough to purchase citizenship and a position in the police or armed forces.

Bum guns are ok to use in the toilet only.

Barang_doa_slae wrote: Yes for citizenship but there is no need for the position.
Gun ownership/carry firearms do exist but since they are currently under scrutiny, very difficult to obtain.
I informally applied for one last year but was told better to wait after next elections + very difficult without a company implying risky business.

Not legally!

As part of a Close Protection team for a high-net worth individual visiting Cambodia on business a couple of years ago we had to research the options available to us for armed team members, we met with lawyers, police, RCAF and other govt officials to ensure that we conducted our task within the letter of the law...which is that civilians cannot be in possession of firearms with exception of those mentioned in Article 5 of The Law on the Management of Weapons, Explosives and Ammunition.

http://www.opendevelopmentcambodia.net/ ... 05_Eng.pdf

Obviously it is still possible for civilians to acquire licenses and/or weapons due to the xorrupt nature of Cambodia...but it is NOT Legal!

Drleted...double post.

why would anyone wants to own a gun? just pay money for a "bulletguard", if anything were to happen most probably people would shoot the guy with the gun, which is not you, after that just give some money for the funeral and hire another "bulletguard"

PSD-Kiwi wrote:

Barang_doa_slae wrote: Yes for citizenship but there is no need for the position.
Gun ownership/carry firearms do exist but since they are currently under scrutiny, very difficult to obtain.
I informally applied for one last year but was told better to wait after next elections + very difficult without a company implying risky business.

Not legally!

As part of a Close Protection team for a high-net worth individual visiting Cambodia on business a couple of years ago we had to research the options available to us for armed team members, we met with lawyers, police, RCAF and other govt officials to ensure that we conducted our task within the letter of the law...which is that civilians cannot be in possession of firearms with exception of those mentioned in Article 5 of The Law on the Management of Weapons, Explosives and Ammunition.

http://www.opendevelopmentcambodia.net/ ... 05_Eng.pdf

Obviously it is still possible for civilians to acquire licenses and/or weapons due to the xorrupt nature of Cambodia...but it is NOT Legal!

Thanks for that, it clarifies my understanding.
As always high officials don't know/apply the law as I was definitely told that legal licenses for civilians have been granted even if the law state otherwise.

Barang_doa_slae wrote:Thanks for that, it clarifies my understanding.
As always high officials don't know/apply the law as I was definitely told that legal licenses for civilians have been granted even if the law state otherwise.

i think you confuse high net worth civilians and civilians, high net worth civilians have the ability to even upgrade their prison cells, so what is owning a gun to them? easy peasy with a few pieces of paper signed by local police chiefs to verify that you are in the poilce force. or if you dont have a khmer citizenship? just need 60,000$ to buy a few more piece of paper to show that you are a khmer citizen, this is how cambodia works.

No worries, always pays to conduct your own thorough due dilligence as opposed to trusting the word of a high up official who is most likely hoping for a nice donation towards their retirement/KTV fund.