Going to Europe--Can I buy guns?

[Snake Eyes]

I'm pretty sure I already know the answer to the question, but I figured the international members here might know something that could pleasantly surprise me.

Here are the countries I will/could be visiting:

England
Netherlands
France
Spain
Belgium
Germany
Luxembourg
England (yeah, right!)

Will any of these countries (or others nearby that I missed) let me purchase firearms?

Thanks for the info!

Peter

 

[El Tejon]

How would you bring them back? You have an SOT #? Have you done a 6 before?

Just curious.

 

[Snake Eyes]

How would you bring them back? You have an SOT #? Have you done a 6 before?

Aahh, um, ahem....I hadn't thought quite that far ahead yet. I was assuming that the answer would just be "NO WAY IN H..." and I wouldn't have to consider further.

Couldn't I have them shipped to a dealer/importer in the states??

 

[JeepDriver]

I stopped in a Gun Shop in Germany last spring. They were mostly hunting related shops (driving through the country side of Germany I saw hundreds of what must have been hunting shacks/ stands. Appear to be big into Hunting)

There was some sort of Dragunov looking gun, 2 New production Springfield Garands, a bunch (over 15) of Single shot break action rifles, and a Remington 700 (All locked in a Glass case on the wall)

There were a bunch of Blue Boxes stacked up behind the counter, I don't think they were Sig boxes though They didn't have any handguns on display in glass cases like we do here. I tried to ask some questions but the shop keeper wasn't the friendly type and blew me off. I was looking for standard cap mags for some of my guns, but no success.

 

[P95Carry]

I think France has some quite good gun shops .... if what a buddy told recently is accurate ....... however, not sure of what status is required for a purchase ..... added to which ..... it could take you about 3 months to fix up an export/import deal with ATF here .....

Forget it!!

 

[CWL]

You may find out that guns will cost more there than here oftentimes. Then you will have to deal with the paperwork/import hassles.

 

[7.62FullMetalJacket]

fedex

 

[Mk VII]

it is possible to do so, if one is prepared to jump through the bureaucratic hoops beforehand, but they [the guns] would be more expensive than at home so you probably wouldn't bother.

 

[trooper]

Well, I suppose theoretically you could legally buy and export a gun as a non-resident, but it would take a lot of time, money and effort to first obtain it and later get it through Customs. Beside this, both guns and ammo are expensive over here.

We have a new firearms law in effect since April, and some regulations and administrative decisions are not finished yet. Many local authorities refuse to issue permits until the legal situation is clear.

Of course you could shop for accessories like magazines, holsters etc. Gun shops are plenty over here.


Regards,

Trooper

 

[Detachment Charlie]

My son, the sailor, just returned from "over there." While on a stopover in Sicily, he and a buddy went into a gun shop (I know, I raised that boy right.) He told me they looked at beautiful, high-end, engraved Baretta shotguns that were priced at roughly $300 U.S. Because he also knows that something that looks too good to be true usually is, he asked about shipping it back to the States. The shop owner said, it's no problem, just very costly. The cost is the Duty Tax assessed to the gun upon import. It would roughly triple the purchase price, according to the shop. And, no, you can't sneak it in tucked in a portable projection screen tube. All sales to U.S. citizens are reported to the U.S. embassy by the gun shop as a matter of law.RATS

 

[M67]

I don't really know, but I have a feeling that it is easier to buy a gun in some of these countries than it is to bring it into the US...

It will in any case involve some paperwork. In most cases local authorities will probably ask for an import licence from your country of origin, which you probably need anyway if you want to go home, especially with the new world order and patriot acts and all that.

One thing about price. If you buy something for export, you should be able to deduct the local VAT/sales tax, which is included in the listed prices in Europe. A typical VAT in the EU would be around 15%. Then you have to find out what the import duties into the US are, it is possible that it may vary depending on what country you want to import from.

Bottom line: I second trooper's advice. You should find plenty of gun shops in most of the countries you list. There is no law against looking, drooling and buying accessories - as long as you don't try to enter the US with standard capacity magazines or suppressors or other immoral implements of the devil...