Abu Dhabi CCW?

D

David Scott

New member
Does any TFLer know whether it's possible for an American on a sponsored work permit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to get a CCW permit there? I tried a bunch of official sites but could not find one (in English, at least) that explained their gun laws.
 
Hi David Scott,

No guns for you in Abu Dhabi. Nationals can own almost anything (like military stuff) but it has to stay in their family compound and can't be transported around. I used to go shooting out in the empty quarter with locals that carried their guns in the trunk but it's not legal in the western sense of the word. The gulf runs more on acceptable activity than formal laws.

There are shooting ranges in Jebal Ally and one in Ajman where you can rent and shoot military weapons.

So I expect you are going to have to leave your guns at home but don't worry Abu Dhabi is the safest place on earth. I used to live in Dubai and it's safe as can be but even Dubai looks like Phnom Penh compared to Abu Dhabi.

Make sure you do some 4x4 desert driving because the sand dunes out toward Liwa Oasis in the Empty Quarter are the highest in the world. Try contacting www.offroademirates.com for the extreme stuff. The scuba diving is good especially on the East coast around Khor Fakkan (Indian Ocean side). Super sailfishing on the Gulf side off Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the winter. Some days you will have two on at a time all day.

Do not under any circumstances get into a bar fight. For anyone in a fight no matter who starts it everyone goes to jail for a couple months and are then deported. Actually for this reason violence is so very rare.

If you get the job and want a contact in Abu Dhabi send me your email address and I will pass it on to the Gulf Legend "Sandman". You might know him if you ever visit the lonely planet web site although he dropped off that board when the Islamic thought police blocked it. He is a derivative trader in Abu Dhabi and a big time desert dune basher and world traveller. He is the one that showed me how to get into Iraq but that trip pales against his illegal trip to Mecca for Haj going in to Saudi with no visa from Yemen with qat smugglers.

The UAE is a super place and even now being surrounded by palm trees and the clear blue Andaman Sea I miss the sandbox from time to time.

Warmest Regards, Smoker
 
smoker, you paint quite a fun picture, when was the last time you were there, and has it become significantly more dangerous for foreigners since you left?

thanks,
atek3
 
I came out of Abu two years ago and have friends there still. What Smoker says is pretty much true. Check the "accurate" website and contact Saheed via pm he's a pretty good guy and a MAJOR hunter. I'm wrangling to get back there as I write this. And my wife would spend the rest of her life there if she could. Dubai is the party town, Abu is where the gov is located. Lots of club life, costs aren't too bad. Housing/apartments are usually spacious. Only food that is expensive is pork bacon... Every nationality you can think of is there. Everybody gets along. There have been increasing incidents of small crimes, but they are still so few as to warrant news stories when they happen. I think there were two muders in the two years I was there, and one was a western woman who killed her husband... Good news source for the area is www.gulfnews.com. VERY SAFE FOR ANYONE WHEN WE WERE THERE. Wife used to take walks on the Cornech(waterfront park area) when I had to work late or was out of town.
 
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