The woes of one who tried to import the wrong way.
 

Just wanted to tell my personal experience with trying to import a $400 KWA M14A1 GBB rifle with separate 3-9x sniper scope. I purchased it in Hong Kong 2 days ago. It may end okay, but I'm very nervous right now.
In Hong Kong, I told Air Canada rep what I had and they called HK airport security to inspect. HK security got wide-eyed and called HK military to inspect. Everyone was really cool and interested in the gun and the sport. Surrounded by guys with real MP5's was both awesome and a little nervous. Anyway, they had no issues with it, but I had to pay US$20 to have it packed by Hong Kong airport packing services. Probably better off doing this anyway so less likely some baggage inspector will steal anything.
So on the plane to Pearson Airport, YYZ, in Toronto now.:)
I mark on the customs document that I have a firearm, and tell CBSA what I bought. An 'uncontrolled firearm' as per section 5 of the memorandum.
The guy marked info on the customs card and I knew I would be sent to extra security after picking up my luggage. Which is what happened.
After a wait I got called to two CBSA agents (one of which was being trained). The less newbie one was very concerned that it did not have red safety cap and no clear parts. I think I would have been okay off the bat if it had such parts. Anyway, my approach was to not be too confrontational and just quote the relevant parts of the memorandum (http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/publications/d...-13-2-eng.html). Sections 5, 49, 50a, 53b. This topic is covered quite well in other posts. Bottom line is 366 < FPS < 500 is not a replica, but an 'uncontrolled firearm'
The CBSA staff just weren't sure and felt the safe thing to do was to detain it. They called their manager and the manager kept telling me it was a replica.
No one had any issues with the scope, so I have that with me now. This could end be the most expensive scope I have bought :wink:

Everyone was very cool and reasonable through the whole process, but bottom line is you are relying on people that are not trained properly. Of the three CBSA staff that discussed the case with me, not one had ever had someone try to import such a rifle through Pearson before. I am reasonably comfortable that I have a good case to keep the gun, but I am just waiting now. Will update again when I hear what happens. And I will dispute the ruling if they say I can't have it. Any suggestion on how I can prepare for the next interview ?

At this point I would not recommend doing this again, just for the blood pressure affects alone.

Oh My F*cking God,
you are not to import airsoft in the first place
be glad you didn't get black listed by the CSBA

I have. Cbsa opened & inspected. Maybe chrono'd it. Arrived at post office and I paid duties. Not a big deal. Shipped from ehobbyasia. They swapped in a m120 into the gb of the masada (a&k)

Thats not true, I myself and many people I know have imported rifles from a certain store in the US. They chrony it and mark down the FPS on a document they made stating it's in the legal limits of importing under the memorandum. It's risky but it's possible and legal. Goodluck I guess =]

from the plethora of documents I've looked over it seems that as long as it fits within a certain criteria it's fine. that being said, it also universally looks like it's just not worth it if it's just a gun or two.

sounds like you went through the right channels, OP, hope that human error doesn't end up costing you your airsoft =( im currently biting my nails about the prospect of shipping over my tac gear/mags/sights from the US...

You are in the right. You should get your gun back. Keep appealing until you hit someone with knowledge. You will have the gun by thefall of 2014.

Perfect example of Govt. employees not knowing their own policies. God for bid anyone made a "call" on something....drives me nuts and unfortunately not isolated to CBSA.

Hope everything works out....probably will if you get a good Officer to review your case....they're not all douchebags...just mostly ;)

It took me 13 months to win a detention case, be prepared to wait a while. The CBSA/RCMP really like to take their time when sending guns to the chronograph test.

You are wrong.

Let me get this straight. You figured you'd fly into a busy international airport with a airsoft gun in your luggage and copy of a memo.

You thought that would satisfy the front line staff that it complies with the regs and that your piece of paper is correct? The answer of course is they won't. They'll seize it and let it get sorted out at a later date.

I guess you can hope that when the do test it they'll do it on a warm day, have a fresh tank of propane and the just right weight of BBs.

Good luck. Hope the hassle is worth what you saved vs. buying in country.

KWA M14A1 GBB rifle
I am trying to help you out but i can`t find the specs

... i can`t find the any info on the gun. I Import airsoft with out any problems. The key is the documentation from the manufacture...

Was is shooting over the 500fps or bellow 366 fps? I deal with senior officers CBSA all the time.

I guess he means this:

http://kwausa.com/ptr/kwa-lm4-ptr

I also fly to HK very often but I found it does not worth the effort and time to buy something that is available here.

You may pay a higher price from local retailers but the difference in price is getting smaller these days.

Whenever you decide to bring in an airsoft gun by yourself, you should prepare you won't be bothered even if it does not get through. Otherwise, it really does not worth to do so.

(d)
Low muzzle velocity/energy guns
–
Any barrelled weapon that is not designed or adapted to discharge projectiles at a muzzle velocity exceeding 152.4 metres per second (500 feet per second) and at a muzzle energy exceeding 5.7 Joules, or to discharge projectiles that are designed or adapted to attain a velocity exceeding 152.4 metres per second (500 feet per second) and an energy exceeding 5.7 Joules. Both thresholds of 152.4 mps and 5.7 Joules must be exceeded for the firearm to be considered “controlled”. This requirement exempts firearms that fire below the threshold velocity with a standard projectile, but exceed the threshold velocity when fired with a high-velocity projectile


This mean to have 5.7 joules the airsoft with 0.20 g bb would have to shoot over 700 fps to be considered and firearm...

thanks K3vX

13+ RPS
110-116 MPS [360-380 FPS]
1.20 Joules

they take the average from the manufacture web site . so it would be 370 fps.
That is your first line of defense. But if you have a agent that want to have it tested then they will send it to Ottawa to the RCMP lab weapons lab to test it to cronie it...

Lol, seems like a funny coincidence, I was just rereading through the memorandum yesterday to clarify some points regarding this exact issue.

Now as much as I'd like to discuss this topic more, it seems to be a bit of a taboo topic here on ASC due to the fact that most people don't want to encourage the behavior due to the potential risk towards the sport and because of the "support your local retailer" thing (not a bad thing but prices seem outrageous sometimes... even between local stores). Anyways, I've pm'd a few people w/ some questions (hope you don't mind) and a note for OP which might help somewhat.

But it seems like the most important thing to take away from here is:

"Don't personally import airsoft in your lugguge through an airport, while its not illegal per say its not worth the hassle and potential butt prodding by customs"

is it even worth it to do all this for a gun that every single retailer sell locally ?

I don't understand ....

Sorry, the model is the LM4 as stated above. Here is the link at the store I bought it from:
http://shop.ehobbyasia.com/other-gun...g-package.html

It says 380FPS on that site, but US site says 360-380. I would argue to CBSA that as long as one BB in the test group fires above 366, then the weapon can "cause serious bodily injury" and classify as a firearm.

Metro, I believe you misinterpreted paragraph 5d. The < 500FPS means that it is 'uncontrolled' firearm rather than 'controlled' firearm, but a firearm nonetheless. No license required.

In hindsight, busting it down to parts would have ben better.Claim the metal receiver, or better yet, mail it to yourself. The rest would pass through no problem. Hell the receiver might even have made it. My polymer receiver passed through no questions.

That's a great link to quote to present your side.

GBB Rifle (System7 Two) Black (2x Mag Package)1/1 Scale High Performance Assembled Electric Powered Airsoft AEG

Everything else must be right though,,,

Receiver are prohibited for personal import if not attached to an unrestricted firearm.

Aaannndd...

Reminds me of a Iron Maiden song. The Assassin.

" It's not the money I make
It's the thrill of the chase "

Yeah, not exactly the same subject, but reminds me of this.

Keep in mind Hong Kong has no tax nor did I pay shipping/handling. More than that is the principle of the thing and exercising a legal right that seems clearly documented.

As clear as legalize can be.

Don't forget all the additional bad touches that he will receive at the Airport from now on due to him probably being put on a list.

Hi CritcalBill; apart from the monetary part where you saved on shipping, any reason why you would rather bring it on plane instead of post it?

I am also contemplating on how to bring my AEG and 3 GBB Pistols back. I will most likely give away my GBB Pistols when the time comes as they don't meet the CBSA requirement for FPS.

Did you purchase your Airsoft Gun from JK Army or EhobbyAsia etc?

I bought from ehobbyAsia, see link above in my earlier post.

A few reasons to bring back in checked luggage:
a) No duty - after being out of country > 48hrs you can claim up to CAN$800 duty free
b) I get to 'try' the exact unit I am bringing back vs getting it here to find something wrong or not what I expected. By 'try' meaning I did not fire the gun in HK, because I did not want any residual gas in the chamber, b/c gas is not allowed to transport. Probably would have been ok, but didn't want to risk it.
c) I am not certain, but the rules for importing 'may' be different when you do not carry it in and declare it yourself. Don't flame me on this post for saying this, I say 'may be' because I did not do the research to know one way or another.

As someone who has been in your exact situation I will say this:
Forget about the pistols, as there is a high likelihood that they will not make it. Try to sell them and recoup when you get here.

As for the AEG, it depends how attached you are to it and how much you have invested. It is not the most up and up way to do it, but it can work and isn't really breaking any laws.

That said, If it is easily replaced here, sell it. If not, I recommend stripping it down to parts.
IF you have a metal receiver, post it and hope for the best. Don't bring it with you. As far as the CBSA is concerned it might as well be Real.

As for the rest, if you have a big shipment of stuff, burry the parts in the shipment. If all you have is luggage, post parts that could raise suspicion like the gearbox (it resembles a "gun" shape, therefore it will most likely raise a red flag), pistol grips, maybe even the rifle stock.

Mags are iffy. If they are plastic and have NO dummy rounds (don't even think about importing those!) you might get em through but if they are metal, they could cause you unwanted attention. And then you'd have to explain why you have them....But I will say this, replacing mags here is a pain in the ass. If you can't turn a decent coin by selling yours, I'd say post em and see what happens. Worst case they get seized.

Sounds like a pain in the ass? That's cause it is. But again it depends on what its worth to you. For me, at the time, my exact AEG was not available in North America yet. I also had a lot invested in it. I had a big massive shipment to stick the parts in AND the receiver was ABS. I did not bring my mags and sold off all my full metal stuff.

If I had to do it all over again, I might have sold off everything and started fresh. I did my way because I knew I had a good chance of avoiding attention...no laws were broken....but my methods were definitely questionable and my whole shipment could have been seized because of it. So...choose wisely.

While I really feel sorry for your case as it is really tempting to buy the gun and bring it back especially when you were in HK where the supply of airsoft guns and items are abundant and cheap. I just visited the HK "Airsoft street" three days ago.

But due to the big difference in CBSA officers' experience, it is no fun when your item got detained and you need to spend extra effort to get it back, which you ultimately will.

At the end of the day, it is your call and hope you get your gun back and enjoy it as soon as possible.

Advice from a professional smuggler? bury it, lol

Your suggestion is tantamount to mail fraud and could get people in hot water.

Sounds like the OP did everything right and CBSA still seized it because of their ignorance of their own rules. I hope you get your item but it probably would have been cheaper to buy in country when you factor in the time, effort and taxes.

Sure, but I figure I get one of two things out of this:
a) a good airsoft gun, at a good price and a win for the sport all around
b) a fantastic story to tell, valued at $400

Uh huh....How is it mail fraud? I never said anything about misrepresenting anything. If I say post it, I mean that literally. Throw it in the mail as it is...not marked "Barbie’s" or anything. Hell, some have got items through so if its leave it behind or try to mail it...why not? It's no skin of your back if it gets seized is it? At least you gave it a shot.

I also made it quite clear that all of this is risky AND a royal Pain and to choose wisely.

As for burying stuff in your shipment....again...your call...I see no difference between not claiming all of the shit you bought on holiday in Europe when flying home and completely legal and permissible airsoft parts. The only difference is that the mere mention of the word "airsoft" is a sure fire ticket to a hassle.
As for a penalty if caught? I imagine that it would be no different than if CBSA found your three brand new jackets that you "forgot" to mention.