Bringing home the gun
 

Hi,
I'm going to be coming back to Canada from Scotland after a NATO exchange in 2 years, while being here I've started an airsoft club of my own and, I'd like to bring my own airsoft gun back home with me when I return. So I went about the proper thing, and called up the Canadian Forces Service Unit in London, and requested information concerning me bringing in an airsoft rifle. I just got off the phone with him, according to what he said he called up the moving company and they said I can bring it back with me with no problems, so long as it's a normal spring powered gun, and not a gas powered one. I'm just double checking here to make sure I was informed correctly.
I assume it'd be fine since the moving company knows their stuff, but does any one else here have any experience with a similar scenario?
Thanks

what goes on in the military stays in the military, for us civies it's almost a No, No to bring anything back through borders and customs unless you have the proper paper work, unless this person you talked to willing to issue you the proper paperwork then don't trust it. Customs here can be really picky at times especially concerning airsoft guns so unless you have the proper papers issued by your CO and the approval of CBSA here then you might as well sell it, unless you will be travelling by military transport and everything been approved.

long as civilian customs stay away from it then i guess what the military tells you is what you should expect. Though its about a 99% chance it'll be taken if civilian customs officers look at your stuff.

I chalk it up to the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. Ie. it's legal to have an airsoft gun in Canada however importation is tricky and according to CBSA is not allowed (I'm referring to full black ones (spring or gas) not the clear ones that Walmart/CT sells).

Being mil you might be able to expect less problems if it's all done internally in the military. I guess the MP's or someone would act as customs and inspect your stuff for entry however for the most part airsoft guns are prohibited for entry according to the CBSA (doesn't matter gas or spring). So if at any point it passes through the CBSA then it's probably going to get taken.

Just don't ask how they get into Canada, they just seem to appear randomly it's probably magic or something :wink: :wink: . Either that or they're "prototypes from 1998" (when there was a law that was passed banning certain airsoft that fit certain definitions) and have been grandfathered in or sometimes they are classifieds as uncontrolled firearms much like pellet guns that fire .177 cal at 495 FPS. That uhhh 2008 SystemA PTW you see? yeah.... totally imported before 1998, it was an early prototype... :rolleyes:

CF or not, same rules on importation applies, especially difficult if you are using commercial moving or air.
And ASU London will be in no position to get your gun back when it is confiscated.
That said, there are some fascinating stories of cold warriors one upping Customs at Trenton when returning home from Lahr when it closed.
But yeah, don't do it.

Having served 2 tours in Europe with NATO. I can tell you that CBSA is CBSA for everybody. There is no special treatment for military personnel.
This is how it went for me: I had to submit a complete inventory of everything my family and I owned. All of my belonging were loaded into a small container by civilian local movers. We had 5000 lbs worth of stuff and 47 pages of inventory. The custom officer looked at and stamped all 47 pages and the way we went. I have no idea if he looked inside the container.
After my first tour, I brought back a RS M1911a1. I had no problems with CBSA. The pistol was sent separately and was kept by police in Canada until I took the proper courses and got the proper papers. I had 6 months to do so.
So, the only thing that differs from the laws of imports here is that the airgun already belongs to you and that you've been in Europe for 2 yrs. Personally, I would show it on my inventory as a BB gun and shove it in the container.

Thanks for the info everyone.
Apparently the CFSU guy phoned up the moving company, and the moving company said they can take spring airsoft guns, just not gas ones because the gas might explode during the transport. From the sounds of it it'll go fine. But again, thanks for the quick reply.

I'd also like to note that this is a full metal gun that pumps out at 450 fps I'm referring to, it seems there might be some problem with it being metal from what little I've read so far. Are metal frame airsoft guns illegal in Canada?

In that case, it's fine to take gas pistols just make sure there is nothing in the mags that might explode (ie. fire until dry and use dump valves to ensure no gas in the mags). You can always buy "green gas" (AKA Propane) and an adaptor here in Canada.

Also metal bodies are no more illegal than black plastic ones. It's a misconception that most newbies have.

Also keep in mind that most of the field limits here in Canada dictate 400 FPS (~1.41 Joules) MAX for full auto guns (some going up to 425 or 450 such as in the prairies). So you will need to get a downgrade spring. I suggest something like a Modify S110+ spring. For CQB it's 350 and below with some dictating 330 (~1 Joule). Note all FPS values given using .20 gr., joule values given as well as it's not velocity that matters rather it's the amount of energy put into the BB.

PS: Work on getting verified and you can get access to the AV only section as well as the classifieds if you and your father want to join in on a game. AV is not required to attend games rather it's if you want to find more selection of guns ranging from new to used, LNIB to fixer and anything in between (as well as a wider selection of brands and models with various upgrades and accessories).

From my understanding, whatever is in your Barrack box is nothing for them to know about.

Wrong...Everything you bring in this country is subject to search and seizure if deemed to be illegal.

Unless it is in a Diplomatic Pouch its fair game. Period.

I wont mention what we did when we came back from Cyprus LOL.

I'm currently outside of Canada, so I wouldn't know how to get my age verified outside the country. I'll deffo do it after I'm back in Canada. As for buying airsoft guns in Canada, it'm AMAZED to see that airsoft guns cost WAYYYYYYYY more in Canada than they do here, and in the states the prices are even less! I assume that is because of the relatively small quantity of competition? Nice to know full metals are allowed, I read something on some other site selling guns in Canada saying it was made out of some Canadian government approved material? Maybe I mis-read it. On a similar note, is there any sort of legal issue with having an airsoft rifle that appears to be a real one? Here in the UK they paint guns bright colors(which makes it easier to get shot) unless you are registered with the UKARA. Clear guns are also included in that same bright colors category all of which are commonly referred to as IFs (imitation firearms).
I assume similar laws must affect Canadian airsoft as well? Otherwise why do they sell the clear guns?
Thanks for the help everyone

If R.I.T.Z. could kindly post his welcome....

So you noticed the price, eh? Nice, no? Ya its totally sweet to put my $700 gun on top of my $400 amp and say "I play once a week!" to all my friends.

You noticed the funny laws? Well a kid got shot by a cop and now the black has to stop, or some other dumb cop might jump the gun and kill some kids playing in the streets. So now the trades are to be on a clear plastic on every weapon (trades are weapon specific and may be in different spots for different types) unless you are super special like mach1airsoft. The black will be back, and AV is easy if you have free time!

Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I'll toss this out. If you are moving back permanently and your choice is to leave the gun behind or try your luck with CBSA.. Why not try it? You're out a gun either way..

Now for the disclaimer

If they do sieze the gun, you can expect to be red flagged for just about every piece of mail you recieve from out of country.

Don't try to hide the fact that it's there.. Just put it in with your stuff, locked, unloaded would be best, with a battery in the case with it. Just looks a little more respectful. And if you try to hide the fact that you have the gun in your possessions, you are basically smuggling.

That's all. Probably not the best advice though.

I once moved a very nice and respectable US air force major into his new home after comming here from a posting in China (Im not sure what his posting was but it was not with the consulate or embassy).

During the subsequent unloading of the contents of the container we unloaded approximately 80+ liters of alcohol and no less then a half dozen real weapons, non of which was on the shipping manifest.

Sufficed to say we where "tipped" quiet well when the driver pointed out the volume of booze not on the official shipping manifest but I always though it was strange that so much stuff could be brought in without notice.


Not suggesting you do this though just saying.. This was also around 1998 and well before the world was so ansy about international terrorism.

Thanks again, alot of good info, you're right though, either way I'm out a gun if I don't try.
I have a pretty clear idea now as to what I'm going to do, so thanks again for all the info, luckily though I found the same gun I've got now online from a canadian retailer, unfortunately it's 100$ more expensive to buy from the Canadian site. I'm abit clingy when it comes to cash,( odd that I've paid such huge amounts for airsoft despite this) so I'm going to call a higher ranking officer in charge of imports and such, luckily I have a big list of numbers, so at least I'll be able to get a better answer.
Thanks again

I hesitate to write this, as I don't want to come off as an ass; but seriously read your own posts back to yourself; you sound like the quintessential "millenial" Numerous persons who are in the know keep telling you that it's verboten to bring back an airsoft rifle; best to just let the matter die. Sell it there, mislabeling it and sticking it into your family's household goods could (on the off chance it's caught) cause problems for your father; it's his name on the shipping manifest, not yours.

Calling military personnel, who have nothing to do with your airsoft gun not being allowable to import is only going to piss off people and possibly have blowback on your father. I know that if I was manning the desk when your call came in , and I had to listen to someone going on about how "you should totally let me bring back my toys, even though CBSA says no. My Dad's a Lt Navy so it's all good." I wouldn't lift a finger, or worse case might get it in my mind to call your father and let him know that you're name dropping over a trivial and bullshit issue.

Your are not entitled to diddly squat in this situation, no matter how many "reasons why they should let me through".

On a positive note, you're coming back to Canada at a time when airsoft has picked up a bit in popularity, and no matter where you end up you shouldn't have a hard time finding a good community to players.

Now that's an excellent piece of advice! But a thought occurred to me, would it be possible for me to ask a Canadian retailer to let me mail him my gun and pick it up in store?

I just realized I completely wrote my last post in the wrong terminology, it made it sound like I was gona call up my dad's boss or something and force him to get it back for me, what I meant rather was, that I was gona call up one of the highers for better advice concerning how to get it brought in, and that I have a good long list of numbers which I can use to help me gather such information, and hopefully some permission.
Sorry about that

You might wanna get his name off this board as well. We all have callsogns for a reason, and more than just airsofters lurk here....

Most people state their real name when they introduce themselves on the board, and if someone really wanted that sort of information it's not hard to gain. But what exactly are you referring to?

He's referring to the fact that if someone was so inclined, they could easily look your father up via one of many military databases and give him a ring in London.... Do you think he'll be happy that you're name dropping him all over and talking about trying to smuggle replica firearms into the country under his name?

Or how you've posted a lot of info about him (most of it may be bs, but maybe not) his name and rank, where he is working, that he has "special training"... all good info for people who may have ulterior motives. In the military we are constantly harping on persec (personal security) and you are royally screwing your father over in this regard.

CBSA/RCMP etc also monitor these boards, and it's not a small stretch of the imagination that someone working for an agency like that could have your family flagged so when you come back in two years, bam your entire shipment is searched.

Stop posting about wanting to become prime minister to make airsoft legal and telling us that your daddy is an officer, and spend more time reading these boards and educating yourself about airsoft in Canada.

Two words you should take to heart, OPSEC and "dox" don't be dropping your dox or you may see unfortunate things happening from people with malicious intent (ie. $700 worth of pizza to your doorstep is the least of your worries).

Also no, retailers cannot import special packages only what's available to them. You might be able to get someone to "custom order" for you however you need to be AV'ed (EDIT: Also, usually these custom orders come from established retailers in Asia and the US so you're pretty much SOL).

Honestly you sound like you're 15 or something and with the attitude you have I would say definitely less than 18. It may be fine and dandy that you play over there in Scotland and it's got a good community there but if you want to play in Canada you have to play by our rules.

Same as I do. I'm going to the UK next year and buying a gun and just selling it off when I leave, simple as that. I've already done my research (IRT the UKARA scheme and "skirmisher defense" in the VCRA) and everything is set. I suggest you do the same and take a pander through the FAQ section as well.

In the UK (Scotland being part of the UK currently) under 18 is a no go to own a RIF as they are called over there (Realistic Imitation Firearm).

This is turning into another one of those nothing adds up threads.

People took this kid seriously and now it is revealed that he is full of it, that's all.

I don't own this gun myself, in all reality it's being stored as the club's stock rifle, so any one can use it, it just happened to be the one which I desired to bring back with me when I returned. It seems pretty impossible though, so I'll probably just have to save up my pennies and buy a new gun when I return home. And no, I'm 17 shortly turning 18, and I didn't post where he was working.
I think I've become misunderstood with the context of my writing, as I had no intent as to seem boastful or a braggart. So I apologize for any misunderstanding.