Hi Linda,
Only citizens and permanent legal residents can own firearms. You can gain permanent residency after being a temporary resident for three years. An example of a temporary residency category is the pensionado, or retiree, residency. That’s the most common for those retirees coming to live in Costa Rica who receive Social Security or a pension. There are also investor class residencies for younger folks.
I just called a shooting range here in Pavas, a neighborhood in San Jose. They allow non-residents to come shoot but you have to have completed a firearms course. And you can rent firearms there.
There are expat groups that meet for cards, sunset drinks, crafts, travel, book clubs… just about anything you can think of … all over the country. It’s just a matter of asking around when you visit or move there.
In Atenas, for example, I ran into a group of ladies who make jewelry every week at Kay’s Gringos Postres, a local restaurant that is very popular with the expat community there.
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