Gun laws.

I wasn't quite sure where to put this, so I settled on this section. Mods, feel free to move it if I made a mistake. My question is as follows: What are the laws in Russia concerning civilians owning guns? I searched the web a bit, and have gotten different answers, including a site that said all firearms are prohibited. That struck me funny, as before we moved to the states (1998), my father owned a shotgun. And my grandfather, who is still in Russia, owns a pistol (though I think it's a gas pistol.) I have this question because in the near future I would like to move back to Russia, and when I do, I would like to buy a house, seeing as home ownership is on the up and up, and the fiancée is a bit against living in an apartment. Now, of course, in typical Russian manner the door will be steel and the first floor windows will have steel bars. But a gun is a gun, and if nothing else, it gives a bit of peace of mind. If anyone knows about these laws, please feel free to reply. Thank you for your input!

The law is rather murky. So these are general outlines:

The law distinguishes several kinds of weapons:
1. Sport weapons
2. Hunting weapons
3. Self-defense weapons
4. Combat weapons
5. Cold weapons

1. I don't know what you should do yo obtain one.
2. You should be a member of so called 'Society of Huntsmen and Fishermen', you shouldn't be a registered psycho or narc, you should have a safe in your house to keep them and you should obtain permission to buy one from local police station.
If you satisfy all the requirements you can obtain a smooth-barreled hunting weapon (or a shotgun for self defense in your house). The only difference is that you CAN carry a hunting gun with you (disassembled and unarmed) to the place of your hunt and you CANNOT carry a shotgun registered for self-defense outside your home. The penalties are rather severe (including imprisonment).
If you have been owning a smooth barreled gun for five years you can buy a rifle (again, you need a permission).
3. Same as above, this category also includes a variety of gas, and other non-lethal weapons. Some don't even require any permission.
4. Restricted to law enforcement organisations and the military. Some private security agencies can get licenses for their employees to carry such weapons (pistols, assault rifles in some cases). But a private person cannot legally own them.
5. You can have cold weapons if you are a hunter (you need them registered though). A knife should have ... cm long and .... mm think in order to be considered a cold weapon. (There are some other conditions).

Anyway. If you are seriously considering buying a gun you should very carefully read and understand this document (Федеральный закон "Об Оружии"):
http://www.consultant.ru/popular/weapon/

Большое спасибо. Я это именно и хотел знать. Shotgun как раз то что мне и надо. Так сказать, на всякий случай. Из дома его выносить я не собираюсь.