No, I know what it looks like. A hyena will hop up onto the bonnet of that landrover and sniff / gnaw at the canvas up front, and if there's something inside it wants good luck.

Hiding a 12ga inside a car bodywork is easy peasy lemon squeezy and slugs from that reliably put down grizzly bears, which are I believe the toughest land predator currently in existence.

Trying to cross international borders legally with a firearm for self-defense is really difficult if not impossible. If you talk to Overlanders or international ocean cruisers, almost none of them carry weapons. Trying to sneak or bribe your way across a border with a weapon is a pretty serious crime.

[1] http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-65646.html

I doubt buying a shotgun in Africa when you land is a difficult situation.

You would be wrong.

Seeing that just makes me imagine someone stealing the truck and driving away with you still in the tent on top.