Legality of mailing magazines out of the US

[Odd Job]

Ladies and gents, I have a question here about magazines shipped from the US.
I and my friend have .22 rifles, US made. They use 5 and 10 round magazines. These are not in stock here in London. To cut a long story short, we can't order these direct from the US. The company will ship them to a US address and will require a US-based account from which the payment will be made. That means that the US individual must mail them to the UK guy, or the guy must collect them and take them with him in checked baggage.

What are the legal issues here? Are magazines regarded as firearm components for the purposes of exports? Can the US citizen who mails those here to the UK get into any trouble? Can the guy who takes them in his luggage get into trouble with the US authorities?
I'm not worried about the UK angle/customs because that side is taken care of. I'm also not concerned about customs charges, if the things get charged, they get charged, I am only interested in the legal aspects of getting those magazines off US soil.

 

[1 old 0311]

I wouldn't try to bring them in. You will be checked for sure. If you have a friend in the U.S. ask him to take them apart and send them in two packages. Springs, followers, base plates in one, and bodies in another. He will have to fill out a Customs Form, so get creative.
Or you could just vote the bastards out of office, and change the law.

 

[Odd Job]

No sir, I am not worried about the UK side (the import), I am worried about the export side. What are the rules on the US side?

 

[Jim K]

Magazines are considered as parts "necessary for the operation of a gun" and require an export license to ship out of the U.S. legally. (Illegal shipment is, of course, an option, but the consequences, if caught, could be severe.)

What U.S. company are you ordering from? Most U.S. makers have dealers in foreign countries who stock parts routinely and should be able to order anything that is legal to sell in that country.

Jim

 

[Odd Job]

Thanks, Jim, that is what I needed to know. I almost made a mistake asking my relatives to mail those to me here in the UK.
There certainly is a dealer here in the UK, but he is all out of magazines and must wait for Thompson Center to supply him.
No matter, I'll get what I need eventually, I just don't want my folks to get into any trouble by trying to help me get the magazines sooner.