Brent, I never really worked for State, but I "played" a State Dept officer for a couple years. You were fortunate to get a clear answer from them. I did have a good working relationship with State's RSO (Regional Security Officer). He was ex-FBI. Not sure whether that was positive or negative.
But good point about looking for the right answer. I sent a gun home from overseas--following the post-1968 GCA rules--rather than just hiding it in my household goods. Got stuck in Customs in New York. Meanwhile, I was back in Iowa, and no one could tell me how to retrieve it--including the people who should have known. It all worked out, part luck and part effort. And I didn't even have to pay the money Customs said they were charging me for storage.
