Buying a gun across the border from a friend

[Big Racks]

Originally Posted by benamen

Seems there is very little required for a U.S. citizen to transport a firearm out of the country. Might be easy to bring across a rifle and never return with it.

Traveling outside of the U.S. - Temporarily taking a firearm, rifle, gun or shotgun abroad for hunting purposes
Published 01/23/2003 06:35 PM | Updated 05/14/2010 04:03 PM
What is the process for a traveler temporarily taking a firearm, rifle, gun or shotgun abroad for hunting purposes?
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) advises travelers to register their firearms prior to taking them overseas to expedite clearance upon their return to the United States.

The traveler must physically take the firearm to a CBP office and have a CBP Officer record the serial number and description on a CBP Form 4457 Certificate of Registration and stamp it.

The CBP Officer will give the traveler the Certificate of Registration form to present upon their return to the United States.

Sure it can be done, but then again the same argument can be made for smuggling cocaine. It's illegal, pure and simple, from a US export law standpoint. Personally, I can't handle the stress of wondering if I'm going to be caught or not.

I found out the rules after the fact. I was down in the states visiting relatives about 9 yrs. ago and my uncle gave me a hunting rifle and a shotgun. I wasn't sure about the whole thing so I phoned Canada Customs before I left for home. It never occurred to me to check with US export requirements. Canada Customs said just bring a "gift letter" when I came home. Brought them home, stopped at the border and produced the letter along with a declaration of approximate retail value (on which I paid taxes) and they took a copy of my PAL. No paperwork other than the form for them to collect their pound of flesh. I phoned CFC once I got home and registered both firearms, no hassle at all.

It was only after I mentioned this on CGN that someone pointed me in the right direction on the US regs. Although I had no real reason to be, I was paranoid for a year that I was going to get nabbed somehow, or worse that my Uncle was going to be nabbed down in the states. I'm not normally a paranoid sort but this one really got to me for some reason. Both firearms have long since been sold and it's long behind me now but I still marvel at my own stupidity for not doing ALL of my homework beforehand.

[benamen]

Not a good analogy as cocaine is illegal to posess on either side of the border. As a Canadian, I am able to posess, transport and use a firearm on both sides of the border, with the proper licenses and documents. My point is that for a U.S citizen to transport a rifle from the the States to Canada, there is no export permit required.

I don't condone the breaking of any laws in any country. But people do it everyday.

[Big Racks]

Originally Posted by benamen

Not a good analogy as cocaine is illegal to posess on either side of the border. As a Canadian, I am able to posess, transport and use a firearm on both sides of the border, with the proper licenses and documents. My point is that for a U.S citizen to transport a rifle from the the States to Canada, there is no export permit required.

I don't condone the breaking of any laws in any country. But people do it everyday.

I didn't mean to infer that you were condoning it, nor that the crimes would be equal, but rather that each is illegal in it's own right. Sure it can be done easily enough (as I believe you said in your thread?) but as simple a process as it is, it's still illegal. In that regards, I think the analogy is correct. I'm not referring to whether the item is illegal or not, strictly the fact that the importation, or in this case, exportation, is illegal. It's basically smuggling, one way or the other.

[benamen]

OK we agree, it would be illegal

[pricedo]

Originally Posted by forest walker

As sheephunter stated I would think it was illegal but I am not knowing in that department.
As for them matching the serial numbers up I would be surprised if the U.S would share their info with the Canadian side to find out if it was left here without the proper import papers. I don't know how they would track that info and I would imagine it would never get caught.

Don't they have to register them at the airport when they bring them in anyways? Would it not then just transfer the info from the registered owner after he had it registered to the new guy registering it? I don't know all the info but I thought this subject was interesting. I once had some inlaws in the U.S with guns they wanted to get rid of and thought it would have been too much to deal with so I told them to sell them down there.

To PERMANENTLY export a firearm from the United States into Canada you need to obtain an export permit from the US State Department.

American citizens (or anyone) who brings guns purchased in the United States into Canada temporarily for hunting, target shooting, whatever and sells them in Canada without a US State Department export permit are breaking American federal law.