International Customs - Shipping back my rifle from Canada

[judicare]

Good afternoon.

I am going to be moving back to Scotland from living in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for a year on a work permit. The date I move back will be March 31st 2014

I would like to ask if I can get some information on whether or not I am allowed to ship a specific item back with me on the flight back to Scotland - obviously, in the hold and not as hand luggage.

Item in question - AIRSOFT "C-TAC M4 Carbine" - https://www.buyairsoft.ca/rifles/electric/ctac-m4-carbine.html. Please note, this is a NON-LETHAL WEAPON

I bought this last year in June and want to know if I am allowed to ship this back with me if I ask the shop I bought it from to place the bright red flourescent tip on the front of the barrell to indicate it is not an actual munitions rifle.

I have placed the receipt and manual in the case to go along with the bb rifle to prove and all serial numbers match with the receipt. This is padlocked with a combination TSA lock.

Can you inform me if I am able to bring this back to the UK and that Customs will not seize this from me?

I have tried to contact HR Customs but I cannot find an email address to contact them by anywhere and you are my next best hope in finding out any information.

Kind regards,

Simon

[Guest PT247]

You may be better off posting it to the UK rather than taking it with you. You would have to declare it on customs forms etc and am not up to speed on that side of things. Poss best getting in touch with a retailer that ships their guns to the UK from Canada to see how they go about it.

[ak2m4]

Pretty sure there's a long thread on Zeroin about this - plenty of people do this. I would inform the airline in the first instance before travel, they will probably make a note on your baggage contains a RIF - you shouldn't get it seized as you haven't broke any importation laws (pretty sure) :-)

[judicare]

Hi guys, thanks for getting in touch regarding my post.

I have had a couple of other hits from my messages on other boards and they say yes to informing the airline - this was obviously my first step anyway but it confirms this is the correct way to go about it. Secondly, if the rifle does for some reason get seized by HMRC, then a rifle club in Edinburgh would stand in on an official capacity and have the item removed from their custody and into the hands of the rifle club.

 

That makes sense in honesty, they have had to do this a few times in the past for their members going abroad to play in another country, to return and have their rifle seized!

 

I will keep you all posted if I hear anything else, but thank you for your input