Shipping a rifle and knives from Australia to USA. Any tips?

July 13, 2009 5:08 AM

Moving from Melbourne, Australia to Nevada, USA. Need to ship a rifle and some knives to collect when I get there. Any advice?

I'm soon to be moving from Melbourne, Australia to the US (Las Vegas, Nevada to be exact). I own a rifle (fairly standard .22 bolt-action Ruger which I am licensed to own in Australia), and a collection of old knives which I inherited from a family member.

I'm hoping to ship these over to the US for safekeeping before I leave Australia. I could possibly send them to a friend or relative in the States, or send them to storage. As I understand, there will be no problem with me owning a rifle or knives in the States (correct me if I'm wrong).

What is the best way to get these items over to the US? Are there any restrictions or other problems that might come up with shipping such goods overseas from Australia?

posted by Eastgate to travel & transportation (10 comments total)

Have you contacted the airline you're travelling on and asked then their policy on shipping firearms in checked luggage? People do this all the time when they travel overseas on hunting safaris. Alternatively, you could look into having the rifle shipped to a Nevada gun dealer and have them handle the paperwork for you at that end.

If it were me, and I was planning to come back to Melbourne some day, I'd leave the rifle here. You could buy yourself a used rifle over there for the same as the cost of shipping it, I would have thought.
posted by tim_in_oz at 5:18 AM on July 13

You don't want to try to ship the rifle. It will be much easier to just take it with you as checked baggage when you come over; you'll need to get an airline-approved, lockable transport case, declare it, and then lock it. You will need to get a BATF importation permit to bring it in. More information here. (Most articles I could find on firearms importation deal with the military, as that's apparently the most common case.) It looks like the process is going to involve a lot of international mail back and forth with the BATF in Washington; I'd get started on it early. The form you need is the somewhat amusingly titled "Application and Permit for Importation of Firearms, Ammunition and Implements of War".

It used to be possible to send guns via the private-carrier services (FedEx, UPS, Airborne Express) but they have almost all changed their rules so that you can't use them unless you are shipping to or from a dealer.

You might be able to ship your rifle from Aus to a dealer here in the US, but I think you'd be dodging the importation requirements so it probably wouldn't be legal. You could also probably get away with just shipping it via an overnight carrier and not declaring it, since most packages are not inspected, but it would be illegal and you'd be risking loss of the firearm (and possibly a lot of other legal trouble) if it were caught. I do not recommend either.

It might be legal, if you got that importation certificate, to ship the firearm via private-carrier to a dealer in the US, and then you would avoid the hassle of declaring it when you fly over, but most dealers won't be familiar with the process and I would expect them to charge you dearly for the service. Anything that exposes them to attention from the Feds is going to be perceived as a risk worth charging for.

To be perfectly honest, unless the gun has strong sentimental value, I would think hard about selling it and just buying a new one when you get here. Importing guns into the US is sort of like bringing snowballs to the North Pole. There's not exactly a shortage, and I suspect if you put any reasonable value on your time, you'll spend a lot more wrangling with the ATF and Homeland Security and the guys in the airport than the gun is possibly worth.

The knives I can't really see you having any trouble with. Excepting switchblades and automatic knives, most regulation of knives is done at the state level in the US, and I don't think Nevada is going to have a problem with your collection. You can send them via whatever private carrier service you prefer, with insurance to cover their cost, and I'd imagine you'd be fine. I'd put down "cutlery" or something on the contents form though, not "knife collection." It just sounds less threatening.
posted by Kadin2048 at 5:36 AM on July 13

Thanks for the replies so far. I know it'd be easier to get another rifle in the States, but it does have sentimental value, as it belonged to my father before he passed away. I'm not planning on coming back to Melbourne to live, so leaving it here isn't a good option for me.
posted by Eastgate at 5:43 AM on July 13

On a related note, I had a friend once advise me to always carry a firearm in your checked luggage when flying. Yes, you have to declare it, but they sure as hell won't lose it. "Oh yeah, we lost a suitcase somewhere in one of the airports, it has a gun in it" doesn't sound too great to one's manager.
posted by jgunsch at 5:44 AM on July 13

There was some blog post that advocated buying a starter pistol, packing it, and declaring it as a firearm (apparently it counts) in your checked luggage for that very reason.
posted by Rhomboid at 7:00 AM on July 13

I'd call the Las Vegas chapter of the NRA and have them direct you to a lawyer there. He or she will have a lot better handle on all of this and you will have a network to call upon.
posted by Ironmouth at 7:22 AM on July 13 [2 favorites has favorites]

Deviant Ollam seems to be the big proponent of "better airline security through packed firepower" on the internet.
posted by zamboni at 7:29 AM on July 13

I think you may want to make your first call the ATF Imports Branch, at [phone]. I've run into seriously conflicting information on whether or not you can basically hand-carry a gun in, if you have the proper importation permit, or if you need to work through an existing licensed importer.

This FAQ makes it sound as though, if you get the right permit and have all your papers in order, you might be able to bring it in through Customs yourself. I find this doubtful.

However, this says that only military personnel are allowed to get a permit and carry stuff in, but as a civilian you have to work through an existing importer. I would double check this with the ATF and if it's true, then your best bet will be to work with the local NRA office and see if they want to recommend an FFL-holding dealer to work with you.

It sounds like this is something any FFL holder (gun dealer) can do for you:

May a licensed dealer who does not have an importer's license make an occasional importation?"

"Yes. A licensee may make an occasional importation of a firearm for a nonlicensee or for the licensee's personal use (not for resale). The licensee must first submit a ATF Form 6, Part I to the Imports Branch for approval. The licensee may then present the approved Form 6 and completed ATF Form 6A to the U.S. Customs Service. Contact the Bureau of ATF, Imports Branch, Washington, DC 20226, [phone] for forms."

Many small gun dealers may not be familiar with this process, though. (I can just imagine the looks I'd get down at my local gun store if I told them I wanted to import a gun on their FFL...)

I don't know what your timeline is, but if you have an additional week or two, I'd check on the phone with the ATF and then send them a letter asking for the procedure, and get a written response. The more written documentation you have, the better.
posted by Kadin2048 at 8:49 AM on July 13 [1 favorite has favorites]

Also, if you want to contact the NRA, either to ask them (worth a try although I suspect they'll refer you to the ATF) or to ask for a referral to a dealer/importer or lawyer who can give you legal advice or act as your agent:

The Office of Legislative Counsel can often assist NRA members who have questions of a legal nature. In addition, this office maintains an attorney referral list and can often provide NRA members with the name of an attorney in their area. If you are a member and are in need of this service, please call [phone] to see if there is an attorney in your area.

If you want to write, their address is 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030.

Given the situation I doubt very much they'll bother you for not being a member. If they do, or if there's some sort of automatic intercept that won't let you get through without a member number, feel free to mefi mail me and I'll make a call on your behalf.
posted by Kadin2048 at 1:15 PM on July 13

Your questions makes it sound like you are moving to the US so you will have an immigrant visa, but just in case you will need to take this into account.
Title 18 USC Chapter 44 sec 922 is the federal firearm law.
It shall be unlawful for any person--
(5) who, being an alien--
(A) is illegally or unlawfully in the United States; or
(B) except as provided in subsection (y)(2), has been
admitted to the United States under a nonimmigrant visa (as that
term is defined in section 101(a)(26) of the Immigration and
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(26)));
There are a few exceptions but you either have to have it for a temporary sporting purpose or be working for your government.
The attorney general can grant an exemption, but he is not known to be very gun friendly.
posted by prjo at 2:23 PM on July 13