Importing .22 pistol from USA

HugeCheapskate

Hi. Have any of you guys any experience importing a non-restricted pistol from America. A new Smith & Wesson 22A is approx €250 over there. Nearly €700 here. You can see why I'd be in favour of getting it from oveseas. Any info on how to import the gun here (if possible) would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks. HugeCheapskate

Cass

I have removed my original post because the information i gave was based on no actual experience and conflicts with other info by guys with more knowledge than me.

So to avoid confusion i'll leave their posts as the info you are looking for.

Apologies.

rrpc

This is from riflebarrels.com but I assume the same paperwork applies to firearms.

All overseas orders must be accompanied by a 50% deposit (in U.S. funds, drawn on a U.S. bank) or a credit card number. We prefer a credit card because the card company handles the exchange rates.
NOTE: As of January 2009 we have had to increase our fee for processing foreign orders from $75 to $350. The State Department enacted a retroactive fee of $250 per application for the year of 2008 and for all new applications plus increased the annual registration fee to $2750. They also lacked the courtesy to inform of us this retroactive fee until our 2009 renewal notice came although the change took place in September of 2008.
A charge of $350 will be added to each foreign order license. This charge covers the processing of export paperwork and the registration fees with the State Department. An order can be for a single barrel or for hundreds, one $350 charge applies per application. For example, if a foreign business applies for multiple barrels we can deliver barrels individually on that license until it expires (usually 2 years) and the total number of barrels on the license does not have to be filled. See the link below for additional information on Canadian exporting. We understand through a phone conversation in 2004 with a State Department official that they are not approving export licenses for any .50 caliber barrels.
To process the application for export the U.S. State Department requires the following:

1. An original document or certified copy of a duly-issued import authorization.
2. A written explanation is required for any application that does not include an import authorization (e.g., letter from importing government stating that the item does not require an import certificate; applicant certification that no import permit is required).
3. A Purchase Order written on the buyer's letterhead. The State Department is no longer accepting P.O.'s written on our order form. The P.O. should include a statement-of-use such as: "To be used for hunting or sporting purposes.".
4. The end-user must complete and return a State Department DSP-83 form. To download a copy of a printable blank form in a .pdf file - Click Here. To download an Adobe .pdf reader see the bottom of this page.
5. English translations must be provided for foreign language documents.

We prefer to ship barrels through the U.S. Postal Service. United Parcel Service and FedEx will not accept firearms or parts for foreign delivery.

Apparently it only really would make sense for a distributor/dealer to import from the USA as they could spread the cost over a number of firearms.

Duty and VAT are applied to the invoiced cost of the item being shipped, not on the value here (that only applies to motor vehicles). Having recently imported goods from outside the EU, I can confirm that customs are very cogniscant of these types of transactions and require paypal or credit card receipts to prove cost.

Kramer

No import license or article 7 authority is required to import from the US - they are for EU imports. Your Irish firearm license serves as your import document for non EU imports.
Having said that, our DOJ will issue one for complete firearms/actions to make things easier with the US State Department export application. They will issue a letter confirming no import license necessary for component parts of a domestically licenced firearm, barrel etc.
You'll need to deal with a US dealer who is set up for exports. As per RRPC's post, the fees/paperwork mean only such dealers would ever consider dealing with exports. There's also a State Dept. tax to be paid, it's 3/4% IIRC.
Also, it will need to be sent out of the US by a bonded carrier - you can't physically carry it out if you were there on holidays etc.

Not a money saving option really.

HugeCheapskate

Thanks for all the info. You all have been very helpful. I thought I might have been able to save a good few quid by getting the gun from America but unfortunately this doesn't seem likely to be as cheap as I had hoped. I guess I'll be digging deeper into my pocket and getting a gun from a dealer here.:(

Cheers

bunny shooter

HugeCheapskate wrote: »

.............I thought I might have been able to save a good few quid by getting the gun from America but unfortunately this doesn't seem likely to be as cheap as I had hoped. I guess I'll be digging deeper into my pocket and getting a gun from a dealer here.:(.............

Welcome to the club

rrpc

HugeCheapskate wrote: »

Thanks for all the info. You all have been very helpful. I thought I might have been able to save a good few quid by getting the gun from America but unfortunately this doesn't seem likely to be as cheap as I had hoped. I guess I'll be digging deeper into my pocket and getting a gun from a dealer here.:(

Cheers

Have you thought about buying second hand? I know there aren't that many available here, but when you look around the EU, the choice becomes much wider and most dealers will do the necessary paperwork/handling for you for a small fee if you find something you like.

http://www.frankonia.de and http://www.treibel.de for starters. Huge choice and very good prices. On average anything from €100 up to €1000 and at the top end you're geting some very good and relatively new kit.