Well, you certainly could ask..... And you could obtain the necessary Canadian import permit, and send it to your friend, so that your friend could apply to the US State Department for a US export licence - assuming that your friend is an exporter.
If your friend were to just put the bits in a box and sent them, he would be violating US federal law, would be risking a fine and/or imprisonment. There is every chance that you would not, in the future, be able to go visit your former friend because you could be flagged as someone who was involved in an attempt to circumvent the law controlling export of arms.
Yup, I think he forgot to lock it.