Pocketfisherman 1 Canada Customs 0
Back in October I decided to try and find another Colt SAA in .41 caliber. The .41 Long Colt is considered antique class as long as it is pre-1898. The .41 Long Colt is center fire cartridge as opposed to .41 Rimfire.
Well I found one in New Zealand of all places. The Colt had been reblued at some time but it was at a price I could not refuse. I made arrangements online with the dealer in NZ and sent him my CC information for payment. I sent him a print out of the CFC Criminal Code guidelines for antique status in Canada and a nice letter to Canada Customs to include with the gun.
He had to go through the process of deregistering it in NZ and sending away for approvals from the New Zealand Police and Foriegn Affairs in NZ. They intern contact INTERPOL (yes I said INTERPOL) to ping my name. They also contacted the Canadian Government (RCMP) to make sure I was not Al Queda etc..
Two weeks later he has all the paperwork ready and ships the gun. The gun arrives in Canada 2 days later, airmail into BC. Canada Post then turns it over to Canada Customs, it is then that the fun begins...
I call into Canada Post after 3 days to check the status. The gun arrived on 11/09 and it was around 11/12. They said Canada Customs still has it so be patient. After a week I start to get nervous. A friend (you know who you are) then did me a huge solid and gave me a nonpublished number to Canada Customs at the Vancouver mail centre. I called the next day and left a message.
After two days they called me back and said they did not have it but would keep and eye out for it. Another week goes by calls to Canada Post, Canada Customs etc.. After 10 days they call me and say they have it but they are "holding" it for a "determination" on it's antique status.The nice girl on the phone said if they determine that my Colt is not antique in their opinion I would not get my gun.
After another week I call again they tell me the same story "we are looking at it to see if it is antique or not". I am by now into my third week doing the tango with Canada Customs.
It is then I decided to "kick it up a notch" I first called my contact at Colt and got an emergency Colt Fatory letter faxed to me. I then called the RCMP they were more than happy to send me a letter stating the my gun did fall under antique status. So now I have two letters. I fire the letters off to Canada Customs. I wait a few days no answer...
I then called into them to see if they liked my letters from the RCMP and Colt. I was shocked to get a "verbal smackdown" from Canada Customs lady. They said I could have said anything I wanted to the RCMP to get a letter like that and that they will be the ones that determine the status of my gun.
Time to get Matlock on their ass.
I took a few days off from bugging them, thinking what my next move should be. I then surfed over to the Canada Customs web site, it was there I found the silver bullet in the form of the CBSA MEMORANDUM D19-13-2. this great little document showed me exactly what the CBSA wants a importer to do to import an antique gun.
So I fired off another letter referencing MEMORANDUM D19-13-2. The next day the CBSA called me my gun was released aand on its way.
As a final twist the gun arrived a week later with a Canada Customs trigger lock still attached. Of course there was no combo. It played with possible combination's 1867...6666 (sign of the beast) etc.. I then just popped the lock gently with a jewellers screw driver.
Three days later I recieved a call from my customs lady. She wanted to know if I got my gun. I said yes and does she want her trigger lock back? She stumbled and said um.. ah.. yes please I said "sure it is government property" so I will send it back. She chuckled and said yes it is...and wait for it...We know where you live... We both laughed..classic CBSA
Thanks to Dingus for the moral support! By the way two days later my wife wrote her car off in a no injury accident...so my victory was short lived.
Anyway here is a pic of the gun with its brothers...
Pocket
Back in October I decided to try and find another Colt SAA in .41 caliber. The .41 Long Colt is considered antique class as long as it is pre-1898. The .41 Long Colt is center fire cartridge as opposed to .41 Rimfire.
Well I found one in New Zealand of all places. The Colt had been reblued at some time but it was at a price I could not refuse. I made arrangements online with the dealer in NZ and sent him my CC information for payment. I sent him a print out of the CFC Criminal Code guidelines for antique status in Canada and a nice letter to Canada Customs to include with the gun.
He had to go through the process of deregistering it in NZ and sending away for approvals from the New Zealand Police and Foriegn Affairs in NZ. They intern contact INTERPOL (yes I said INTERPOL) to ping my name. They also contacted the Canadian Government (RCMP) to make sure I was not Al Queda etc..
Two weeks later he has all the paperwork ready and ships the gun. The gun arrives in Canada 2 days later, airmail into BC. Canada Post then turns it over to Canada Customs, it is then that the fun begins...
I call into Canada Post after 3 days to check the status. The gun arrived on 11/09 and it was around 11/12. They said Canada Customs still has it so be patient. After a week I start to get nervous. A friend (you know who you are) then did me a huge solid and gave me a nonpublished number to Canada Customs at the Vancouver mail centre. I called the next day and left a message.
After two days they called me back and said they did not have it but would keep and eye out for it. Another week goes by calls to Canada Post, Canada Customs etc.. After 10 days they call me and say they have it but they are "holding" it for a "determination" on it's antique status.The nice girl on the phone said if they determine that my Colt is not antique in their opinion I would not get my gun.
After another week I call again they tell me the same story "we are looking at it to see if it is antique or not". I am by now into my third week doing the tango with Canada Customs.
It is then I decided to "kick it up a notch" I first called my contact at Colt and got an emergency Colt Fatory letter faxed to me. I then called the RCMP they were more than happy to send me a letter stating the my gun did fall under antique status. So now I have two letters. I fire the letters off to Canada Customs. I wait a few days no answer...
I then called into them to see if they liked my letters from the RCMP and Colt. I was shocked to get a "verbal smackdown" from Canada Customs lady. They said I could have said anything I wanted to the RCMP to get a letter like that and that they will be the ones that determine the status of my gun.
Time to get Matlock on their ass.
I took a few days off from bugging them, thinking what my next move should be. I then surfed over to the Canada Customs web site, it was there I found the silver bullet in the form of the CBSA MEMORANDUM D19-13-2. this great little document showed me exactly what the CBSA wants a importer to do to import an antique gun.
So I fired off another letter referencing MEMORANDUM D19-13-2. The next day the CBSA called me my gun was released aand on its way.
As a final twist the gun arrived a week later with a Canada Customs trigger lock still attached. Of course there was no combo. It played with possible combination's 1867...6666 (sign of the beast) etc.. I then just popped the lock gently with a jewellers screw driver.
Three days later I recieved a call from my customs lady. She wanted to know if I got my gun. I said yes and does she want her trigger lock back? She stumbled and said um.. ah.. yes please I said "sure it is government property" so I will send it back. She chuckled and said yes it is...and wait for it...We know where you live... We both laughed..classic CBSA
Thanks to Dingus for the moral support! By the way two days later my wife wrote her car off in a no injury accident...so my victory was short lived.
Anyway here is a pic of the gun with its brothers...
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