doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Flying Internationally with Shotguns

I don't think I can be any plainer with the subject line.


Upon my return from Yorkshire, Saturday last, I faced a new hurdle at CBP (Customs, Border Patrol) in Chicago O'Hare airport.

After a 20+hr set of flights, at 3:00AM GST, I was asked by CBP to prove the shotguns I was returning with were mine.
It was 10PM on a Saturday, CST.

I pulled out my visitors permit from the UK, and was told that wasn't good enough.

They needed a document showing the serial numbers that I exported, to be matched with the shotguns I was importing.
Furthermore, that it needed to be stamped by CBP on the outbound, and presented by me to CBP on the inbound.


Anyone here ever heard such nonsense before?

That's a completely new regulatory overstep as near as I can tell.

By pure chance, I had the purchase receipt still in the case.

Still, that was a new one to me.

Form 4457 .....just one of the many Federal forms out there. Yeah, I have always filled them out while traveling with firearms.
Steve

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/323/~/traveling-outside-of-the-u.s.---temporarily-taking-a-firearm%2C-rifle%2C-gun%2C


The only issue I ever had was one of my guns had the same serial# as a gun in the stolen firearms database. A quick check showed my gun to be a rifle and the stolen gun was a pistol. Took maybe 10 minutes to determine that and I was on my way.

Well Grey Man, karma can be a real b!tch!

I mean, aren't you one of those gun guys who regularly supports and votes for the Liberal Left Democrat anti-gunners, who work relentlessly to make life miserable for law abiding gun owners?

... Another definition of insanity. When will you learn from your mistakes?

Been around for over a decade or two, for sure. Nothing new about it. They may not always check it however. Used to have to do that for more than just firearms too.

What SKB said. I have a nice .45 stuck in Kenya because I didn't know about Form 4457 when I brought it from the US. Had no trouble (at the US end) bringing back a shotgun I brought in later for which I had the form. It's just a matter of presenting the guns to Customs outbound and having them stamp the form.

Wonderful, it appears I have been the unintended beneficiary of governmental efficiency and professionalism.

Now I must take it upon myself to get the staff at the other two airports I frequent to start doing their jobs as well as their counterparts in Chicago.

Hats off to the CBP professionals in Chicago.

CZ, I posted in the game/gun thread last week about a similar experience I had on a Canadian trip last week.

Form 4457 has been around for years and is intended to be a helpful tool for travelers. The Customs website says its one way of proving prior ownership of an item which might otherwise be duty due. It is specifically stated NOT to be mandatory. Problem for me is the nearest customs office is a couple hundred miles from where I live, and I've always been in too much of a hurry to check the guns at customs while traveling.

On my way out of Houston to Calgary,AB customs agents pulled me off the plane after boarding and advised me I had three GUNS in my pelican case. I said yes I did, mine and two of my traveling companions. I had the receipt for the purchase of my Miroku, along with a prior Canadian registration and P.A.L. but my buddy had nothing on his.

At first they were adamant that the form 4457 was required so they could REGISTER guns leaving the Country. I politely disputed this citing their own website. Short story is they relented and issued 4457s to both of us for our guns and now we have them. Good thing!

Because on our flight home we went to Chicago. US customs from Calgary to Chicago is in the Calgary airport. The agent there demanded our "required" form 4457s. We proudly presented our brand new "papers" and were graciously allowed to return to our home country with our damn shotguns. I'm still mad...Geo

Deep State at work no doubt!

YOu should know that you can get 4457s anytime before your trip and once you have one, it's good for life. So, if the Customs Office is a long ways away, but you know you will be taking one of 3 possible shotguns overseas in 6 mo, then get call ahead, make an appointment and get it done. Then choose the actual gun that will go the night before you leave, if you wish.

If you havea 4457 from 10 yrs ago, it's still good.

I think I remember that you had this gun built for you. Any chance you could ask the gunmaker to draw up a receipt for you from his records? I bet you could get it back into the country if you did.

It's kind of funny.
I am so bland, and non-descript, that I've grown accustomed to no one ever even saying hello to me. Let alone asking for a form.
I had everything I needed to bring in 100lbs of Red Stag venison from the Stag I shot, along with it's antlers, but I overlooked the form for my shotguns.

Flying in and out of my two local airports has made me lazy I guess. They never ask for anything. And can't remember who I am, or when I was possibly last through, it would seem.

I'll fix that. Can't have gun smugglers going un-accosted.

I'll do up some 4457's and get everything stamped before I leave for Romania. Thanks Steve.