Traditional close protection models for high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) focus overwhelmingly on proximate physical threats—kidnapping, assault, and residential security. This paper argues that such models are fundamentally incomplete, failing to address the most significant contemporary threats to elite security: jurisdictional vulnerability, political volatility, and systemic financial exposure. Through an interdisciplinary analysis drawing from political science, securit

Abstract This paper presents a comprehensive examination of the legal and operational barriers preventing armed close protection officers (CPOs) from operating effectively across EU borders. Despite the Schengen Zone's foundational principle of free movement (Article 67 TFEU), armed private security personnel remain constrained by a patchwork of national firearms regulations that compromise client safety and economic efficiency. Through comparative analysis of regulatory re