- Reviews
- 4
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2016
- Messages
- 415
- Reaction score
- 695
- Location
- Kalahari Desert South Africa
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- www.dksafaris.com
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- 12
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- 345
- Member of
- Safari Club International, Dallas Safari Club, International Professional Hunter's Association, Professional Hunter's Association of South Africa, South Africa Predator Association.
- Hunted
- Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Argentina, USA.
In September 2015 I was invited by one of my clients who owns a big ranch in Montana to come and hunt an elk (a lifelong dream animal for me). So arriving in Washington DC with my pre-64 Winchester in 300 H&H I thought USA gun laws are much easier than South Africa's gun laws so it should be easy to get the rifle imported. BIG MISTAKE. When I walked up to the customs official and told him I have a firearm to declare his eyes got as big as saucers.
They took me into a room and interrogated me for several hours. They said to be able to bring in any firearms into USA a person has to go in on the ATF website and apply for import permit. That process can take anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks. I had to prove that I legally owned the firearm with a firearm license that I had with me. I had to show them my hunting license as well as the elk tag. They called the South African embassy and did a criminal background check on me. After several hours the customs officials realized I am not a mass murderer or anything like that so one official helped me to fill in the forms. They then sent it away to "headquarter" wherever that is and had to wait for approval from headquarters. It took me 6 hours at USA customs to get my rifle into America. I missed all my connecting flights and had to rebook everything.
So guys do not complain about South Africa's rifle import regulations. It is 10 times easier than USA regulations.
Sincerely
Hans de Klerk
They took me into a room and interrogated me for several hours. They said to be able to bring in any firearms into USA a person has to go in on the ATF website and apply for import permit. That process can take anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks. I had to prove that I legally owned the firearm with a firearm license that I had with me. I had to show them my hunting license as well as the elk tag. They called the South African embassy and did a criminal background check on me. After several hours the customs officials realized I am not a mass murderer or anything like that so one official helped me to fill in the forms. They then sent it away to "headquarter" wherever that is and had to wait for approval from headquarters. It took me 6 hours at USA customs to get my rifle into America. I missed all my connecting flights and had to rebook everything.
So guys do not complain about South Africa's rifle import regulations. It is 10 times easier than USA regulations.
Sincerely
Hans de Klerk