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I shall almost certainly be going to see my brother in DES Moines, Iowa later in the year. I would like to take a rifle for a bit of USA shooting.

Anyone know if this is possible and if so what forms I need to fill in etc?

Cheers muchly :-)

Hi
I know you will need an airline approved carry case , you will need to get it booked in with the airline prior to flying , I did read a few weeks ago about people taking guns out of the country but then trying to get back home they were being slapped with charges they new nothing about , sounded more like blackmail , loose the gun or pay up .
I would have thought it would have been easier to arrange for a gun when you get out there , especialy the kind of thing you cant do here in the UK anymore .
Check here http://www.suite101.com/content/lawful- ... es-a190313
it says American Airlines dont allow it between the UK & US .

Dave

Have a chat with BASC and your airline to be sure...

http://www.basc.org.uk/en/departments/f ... abroad.cfm

Taking a rifle into Europe is very easy and is just a matter of applying for a EFP (European Firearms Pass) which is free of charge from your FLO. America I have no idea... We have never had issues with UK Customs coming back in, their main interest is VAT so bringing a copy of the original receipt will overcome this, having said that the rifle will be on your FAC by serial and description so that *should* prove it is a UK purchased and registered rifle.

Not sure if people know this but if you do buy a rifle in Europe you can ask the Customs to enter it on your FAC on your return (Make sure you have the necessary variation) You should not have to pay VAT either as it should have been paid at source.

That reminds me, next time I am in DK buying milsurp I am going to see if I can get it VAT free....

I'd be tempted to buy a cheap secondhand one out there in your brother's name and leave it with him when you come home.
They should be cheap as chips and you get the pleasure of looking around.

Brownells isn't far...has to be worth a look around? It's not just internet is it?

:)

BA charge £50 in each direction ...

The travel bit is straightforward. For the UK authorities, one of the priveliges of a UK FAC is that it serves as a personal import / export licence for the firearms entered on it (or, as has been said, if you buy one overseas the firearms that HM Customs will enter on it at point of entry). You have to notify the airline in advance. BA, as has been said, will charge you £50 for handling the firearm (and another £50 for handling any ammo!) plus £40 or whatever for the extra bag. So fly with someone else.

The problems are at the other end. The US authorities, despite trusting their own citizens with all sorts of guns, get really upset about foreigners trying to bring guns into the country. So the form-filling can be complicated. It is further complicated by the fact that firearms laws are not solely federal - they vary from State to State, and you need to check the law for each individual State and comply with whatever bit of officialdom that State throws up. Some of them are quite good about it - is it Texas where you are in real trouble if found not in possession of a firearm ? :P But there are real gotchas.

As has been suggested, unless you are going for serious competition I think that in the USA you would probably be better off travelling normally, and borrowing / hiring whatever takes your fancy once there.

If you are going to Canada, there is no problem at all - at the airport, find the RCMP firearms desk, fill in form, pay $25 (per person, so Karen and I put both rifles in my name) and walk on out. Only problem was when we explained about shooting targets - the Mountie couldn't get his head round the idea we weren't planning to kill anything.

Iain

IainWR wrote:The travel bit is straightforward. For the UK authorities, one of the priveliges of a UK FAC is that it serves as a personal import / export licence for the firearms entered on it (or, as has been said, if you buy one overseas the firearms that HM Customs will enter on it at point of entry). You have to notify the airline in advance. BA, as has been said, will charge you £50 for handling the firearm (and another £50 for handling any ammo!) plus £40 or whatever for the extra bag. So fly with someone else.

That is to the letter of BA Ts&Cs however, the booking staff have some leeway and you may NOT get charged for the extra bag and sometimes just once for gun and ammo especially if it is in one bag. Also if packed inside your normal luggage it will not incur the extra bag charge.

You say fly with someone else - to be honest, BA do a better job than most of the others and having used their firearms service, I know how good and speedy it actually is.

You just need approval from ATF (Alcohol Tobacco and firearms). Forms can be downloaded.
Submit them as requested and you should receive your approval.

When you arrive in America, customs will check the ATF form against your firearm s/n. Having a firearm sometimes helps you to avoid the immigration queues!

The ATF take a booth at the IWA Show telling you how easy it is!

Vince