Buying Ammo in the US

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Originally Posted by thunderbolt

As it's been pointed out earlier, CBSA and US Border Services aren't the issue with bringing ammunition etc....across the border. The problem is US ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives) you need a permit to bring it across the border(export). You can't just go buy it and drive back across...

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^^^This.

BATF is the agency that will prosecute.

Best case, you come back into the country with a flat or two of cheaper ammo, worst case, federal charges.....

I don’t think you can hunt Canadian Geese with American [emoji631] ammo .J/K :)..good luck knock em down!


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My understanding is they same as thunderbolt, it is the ATF that is the problem, I'd talk to them if you want to bring shells back. Canada side only cares if over a certain amount. I brought back a box of 270 shells few years ago, had to go to secondary as I had bought a few hundred dollars of stuff at Cabelas. The Canadian guys said all was good that I broke no Canadian laws but I did break a US one. They they proceed to tell me how they got in trouble with the ATF.

Hi

Per the ATF website they clearly state non-immigrants are allowed to buy ammo but not firearms.

If you do not have a Green Card you are considered a non-immigrant.

They state you have to adhere to all state laws.

So the ATF is good.

They also state they are no longer concerned with the export of firearms and ammo that mandate has passed to the Commerce Department.

The Commerce Department website states they are focused on ensuring any export of firearms adhere to international law. They are not concerned with the export of ammo.

Just for giggles I will call them tomorrow.


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Originally Posted by acolic

Hi

Per the ATF website they clearly state non-immigrants are allowed to buy ammo but not firearms.

If you do not have a Green Card you are considered a non-immigrant.

They state you have to adhere to all state laws.

So the ATF is good.

They also state they are no longer concerned with the export of firearms and ammo that mandate has passed to the Commerce Department.

The Commerce Department website states they are focused on ensuring any export of firearms adhere to international law. They are not concerned with the export of ammo.

Just for giggles I will call them tomorrow.


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Good info, and thanks for sharing all this. I think I'll wait for a while for the bumps to get worked out before I try it myself, but if things have indeed changed that's good. I still like to support local, but selection is a large issue these days, so alternatives are good.

I recently purchased four boxes of 16ga #5s in Minnesota, and another two in North Dakota. No ID was asked for in those states. I did have a valid Form 6 and a ND hunting license, so I wasn't worried. No issues at the border, they just asked to look at our PALs as we were returning with our (Canadian) shotguns.

So I did a bit more digging.

So far I had contacted Canadian Customs, US Customs, New York, State Police,, bass, pro, and the ATF.

No one cared about my exporting ammo into Canada.

But I also contact the Department of Commerce, as suggested, who did care.

Well, actually, they told me they don’t care, they’re more interested in rogue agents within the US trying to export ammo to North Korea, etc.

But if I wanted to do things by the book, I needed to get a free export license.

So being a glutton for administrative punishment, I decided to get myself an export license.

First I had to register for a SNAP-R account which took about five minutes. Just had to set myself up with a username, passwords, etc.

Then I had to request an export license to export ammo. That took me about 15 minutes. For each request you have to specify the type and amount of ammo and you can export up to that amount of ammo over a four year period.

So I thought I would keep it simple and request permission to export 80 boxes of 12/20 gauge shotgun ammo over four years. I just had to specify the ammo but not from where I was going to purchase it.

Two days later, the export license was approved.

So what do I do with this export license?

Nothing.

Department of Commerce said to keep it handy, but when purchasing the ammo or exporting the ammo, I do not need to show it to anyone.

I specifically checked with US customs and they don’t care to see this form.

So now everybody is happy.

I also noticed there was options to export weapon parts. I’m going to see if I can get a export license to export an entire shotgun.

Cheers,

Alex


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Originally Posted by acolic

So I did a bit more digging.

So far I had contacted Canadian Customs, US Customs, New York, State Police,, bass, pro, and the ATF.

No one cared about my exporting ammo into Canada.

But I also contact the Department of Commerce, as suggested, who did care.

Well, actually, they told me they don’t care, they’re more interested in rogue agents within the US trying to export ammo to North Korea, etc.

But if I wanted to do things by the book, I needed to get a free export license.

So being a glutton for administrative punishment, I decided to get myself an export license.

First I had to register for a SNAP-R account which took about five minutes. Just had to set myself up with a username, passwords, etc.

Then I had to request an export license to export ammo. That took me about 15 minutes. For each request you have to specify the type and amount of ammo and you can export up to that amount of ammo over a four year period.

So I thought I would keep it simple and request permission to export 80 boxes of 12/20 gauge shotgun ammo over four years. I just had to specify the ammo but not from where I was going to purchase it.

Two days later, the export license was approved.

So what do I do with this export license?

Nothing.

Department of Commerce said to keep it handy, but when purchasing the ammo or exporting the ammo, I do not need to show it to anyone.

I specifically checked with US customs and they don’t care to see this form.

So now everybody is happy.

I also noticed there was options to export weapon parts. I’m going to see if I can get a export license to export an entire shotgun.

Cheers,

Alex


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So now that you are a bonafide exporter from the U.S., will that change anything when importing into Canada? Sounds like it may put you into the crosshairs of the Canadian officials?

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Originally Posted by Bushmoose

So now that you are a bonafide exporter from the U.S., will that change anything when importing into Canada? Sounds like it may put you into the crosshairs of the Canadian officials?

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highly unlikely as bring ammo in has never been a problem. if I recall its like 500 rounds.

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Originally Posted by finsfurfeathers

highly unlikely as bring ammo in has never been a problem. if I recall its like 500 rounds.

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I would suggest that someone who is a "licensed" exporter from the U.S. would certainly raise the eyebrows of Canada Customs, especially if it involves firearm ammunition. But hey, if it works, then by all means, the OP can knock himself out.