Although this doesn't affect me personally, I am curious about it. My gunslinger aunt & uncle are going to retire in a sailboat and cruise round & about the globe on the boat for a few years. Their understanding is that due to the strict gun laws of most countries (e.g. Mexico), having ANY kind of gun on board can get you in deep doo-doo; AND that by docking at a port-o-call, you are consenting to a full search, and that authorities often do undertake full searches of boats for various reasons; no further consent required. But they say that since you can fire a 12-guage emergency flare from a shotgun, you are allowed to have one 12-guage shotgun for this purpose. So they are taking along a buttload of 12 guage rounds with 700 grain slugs they cast themselves, which they say will do quite nicely in penetrating the hull of approaching uninvited pirates. Anyone know any more about the gun laws when docking at various ports? I know that no other country can be expected to have the same sort of search & seizure protections that we enjoy in America, but it just seems quite invasive to be told you can't keep a pistol or rifle on board just because you're floating in the water off their country's shores.