How to Import Guns into the US (Legally!)

How to Import Guns into the US (Legally!)

I have had a bunch of people ask me what the process is for legally importing firearms into the US. I have gone through this process now a couple times over the past few years, and I think I have a good enough understanding to give you an overview. If you are interested in importing a firearm, the two things to know are that (1) it is possible to legally do this, and (2) it will be pretty expensive to do.

The customs broker I use is Polaris Worldwide Logistics (http://www.polaris-logistics.com/). They were one of the supporters of Desert Brutality, and my import experience with them has been the best of any of the several companies I have used. I would highly recommend them if you are looking to get into this process. You can reach them via the head of their firearms department, Les Winner, at les.winner@polaris-logistics.com.

Some resources that will be useful in this process:

ATF Import Guide: https://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/guide/atf-guidebook-importation-verification-firearms-ammunition-and-implements-war/download

Form 6: https://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/form/form-6-part-1-application-and-permit-importation-firearms-ammunition-and/download

Form 4590 (handgun requirements): https://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/form/atf-form-4590-factoring-criteria-weapons/download

http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons

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50 Comments

  1. Gabriel Grimm on November 18, 2021 at 8:24 pm

    What happen to the old days when you look at a gun in the Sears catalog and you send a check and it ends up in your mail box



  2. Roy Shobe on November 18, 2021 at 8:24 pm

    Thanks for making this video



  3. TexTurk on November 18, 2021 at 8:24 pm

    I want a mpt-76 it’s a Turkish rifles that started production in I think 2016 or 17 still want it.



  4. Ajay Krishnakumar on November 18, 2021 at 8:25 pm

    Would it be cheaper to do this with an svt 40 from Canada vs buying in the USA in 2021?



  5. Alexander Ledvina on November 18, 2021 at 8:26 pm

    Thank you so much for this video. I’m trying to import a VZ 58 and 7.5FK BRNO PSD from the Czech Republic that I plan on buying when I go on my vacation there. There’s a gun YouTuber from there who talks about and I’ve been talking to him about it. He says they’re very permissive and I found a consulate website that says they literally honor our state permits to carry by paying a $20 fee and filing a paper to have them issue me a Czech one. You’ve gave me a bunch of stuff and let me know things I didn’t know about on the US end and logistics end that I can use to get my task accomplished. Especially the fact that a normal FFL can pay for the permit specifically for occasional guns a customer wants to import. The hardest problem is getting the serial numbers ahead of time so I’m going to see if I can find a company that would store the gun for me while I wait for the process to complete since clearly I’d only get the number once I’m there to make the purchase.



  6. preston garvey on November 18, 2021 at 8:26 pm

    are parts kits legal to import?



  7. Paul Feist on November 18, 2021 at 8:27 pm

    Fascinating! I went through this process 20 or so years ago for an Australian Sportco M44 target rifle, and the "Custom Broker" step was FAR easier. Seller in Australia (with copy of my Import form, and his Export form) shipped it UPS. It was stopped by Customs, stamped "Inspected", and delivered to my door by UPS (I was an FFL then). The rifle cost me $180 USD ( $300 AUD at the time), and $100 for shipping.



  8. Matt on November 18, 2021 at 8:28 pm

    i wanna buy out albanias warehouse of AKs, and sks rifles



  9. Joe Terry on November 18, 2021 at 8:29 pm

    I get my guns online from ghostvendors ,com .They are the best dealers i know .



  10. ApexInvader on November 18, 2021 at 8:30 pm

    I know some people in China that can do business could they help me import a sks from China to me?



  11. Mike Schulte on November 18, 2021 at 8:32 pm

    awesome video and I wish someone would have done it years ago. I learned my lessons the hard way and got finally my FFL8. What was first a hobby became my passion and my second job. Now I am a professional firearms importer for German firearms 🙂



  12. Harrison The Car Guy on November 18, 2021 at 8:33 pm

    Thanks for this video, I’m trying to import some Indian ofb firearms to the USA



  13. Derrek Nelson on November 18, 2021 at 8:35 pm

    Can you legally import FAMAS rifles?



  14. buck shot on November 18, 2021 at 8:35 pm

    I am a retired Customs Broker. ATF is one of the most difficult agencies to deal with. Customs or now Customs and Border Protection is not (usually). You can make entry with Customs yourself regardless of the value of the firearm if it’s for your own personal use, and not for resale as long as Customs approves the transaction, but I highly recommend that you hire a broker. If you are going to ship your gun outside the United States for hunting or target shooting be very certain that you register it with Customs before it is shipped on a CF 4455 or 4457 even if the gun was made in the United States. This little piece of paper will serve as you entry back into the United States providing that no repairs were made to the firearm while outside the United States, in which case duty will have to be paid on the cost of the repairs at the same rate of duty as would be accessed on the firearm itself at the time of importation.



  15. Throckmorton on November 18, 2021 at 8:36 pm

    "What was recommended to me (by the ATF) for importation of an antique Lebel, was to apply for an import permit KNOWING it will be rejected, because when it is rejected, it will be returned stamped ‘Firearms does not require a permit’. Then, you have a formal piece of government paperwork stating you don’t need a permit." US Government efficiency at it’s finest!



  16. Geoffrey Russell on November 18, 2021 at 8:38 pm

    Thanks heaps. We have a friend in Switzerland with access to surplus rifles and we thought – "Wow – it would be great to get one!" Not so much. You have enlightened and informed – again. Thoroughly enjoy all your content.



  17. Эдик В on November 18, 2021 at 8:39 pm

    If I am an expat who bought a gun while living in Canada, can I drive it home to the States with me if I have the import and export permits?



  18. Sherlock on November 18, 2021 at 8:42 pm

    This is for guns what if I want to import a tank from Europe with a working main gun like a T-72, how would that be done and is it legal considering Destructive devices are legal to own so would it be legal to import a Destructive devices like tank with a working main gun ?



  19. William Jones on November 18, 2021 at 8:43 pm

    Well that was informative.



  20. Dark Defender on November 18, 2021 at 8:44 pm

    Most impressive part is how you said & remembered all of that without notes!



  21. cash zeigler on November 18, 2021 at 8:44 pm

    Wouldn’t it be easier to just take out the ffl part out of the firearm so it’s not classified as a firearm than just mail it home or check it in your bag then buy reproduction parts once your back in the states



  22. C McMullen on November 18, 2021 at 8:48 pm

    So how do I get an AK-19?



  23. Luigi Castro on November 18, 2021 at 8:49 pm

    I was competing in ipsc Philippines with an sti 2011. The pistol owner is my dad. Now I reside in CA and my dad is gifting the pistol to me. What is the best route for me to take in this process? I want to avoid shipping the pistol and would want to just have the necessary paperworks to pass through the airport.



  24. Moebechir on November 18, 2021 at 8:49 pm

    How do you export a firearm from the us to other country



  25. Trevor Lujan on November 18, 2021 at 8:52 pm

    Very informative



  26. Second Amendment on November 18, 2021 at 8:58 pm

    Can you import a a select fire gun into the US?



  27. Dustin Berthold on November 18, 2021 at 8:58 pm

    It’s almost like the ATF does no want us to import firearms…Curious why?…."The right to bear arms shall not be infringed." 2A. It is time to repeal these ridiculous import laws, and disband the ATF.



  28. GC Remote 51 on November 18, 2021 at 8:58 pm

    I legally imported my gun to Switzerland that was produced in the US. Now I just want to bring it back for private purposes only. Do i need an FFL just to do this.



  29. Captain Hotrod on November 18, 2021 at 9:02 pm

    So if I buy an antique firearm as a souvenir while traveling abroad I don’t need any permits from the US to bring it home?



  30. Matt on November 18, 2021 at 9:02 pm

    i wanna importing license for a machine gun full auto AK and to be a vender for commercial market mainly AKs, i know some websites who has warehouses of aks and ak accessories.



  31. Matt on November 18, 2021 at 9:04 pm

    If I can get a no. 6 form would I be able to get a AK-107 with balanced recoil system or a Chinese AK47 spiker for cheap?



  32. LittleYorgee on November 18, 2021 at 9:05 pm

    What about those of use looking to get a type 8 or type 11? There seems to be very little information out there on the process of doing this commercially.



  33. Jonathan Smith on November 18, 2021 at 9:06 pm

    4:23 – So what I’m hearing is there’s a very niche business opportunity for a long delay transhipper – they just need to hold the ex-military weapon in the "good" country for 5 years before shipping it on to the US buyer 😀



  34. C.S.I.S on November 18, 2021 at 9:06 pm

    Or you can smuggle the gun into the United States and then serialize it and say it was build in the US. As long as you don’t get caught you are ok.



  35. Yunis Zujur on November 18, 2021 at 9:09 pm

    How difficult would be to import a MP446C Viking M from Canada to the US? It’s classified as a sporting pistol



  36. Adalwolf on November 18, 2021 at 9:10 pm

    If say, you were visiting the foreign country that you want to by the firearm from. Would you still have to go through this entire process if you want to bring it back on the plane with you? Or is there a different process if you are traveling with the weapon?



  37. Christopher McElligott on November 18, 2021 at 9:10 pm

    The government makes this process a pain in the ass for purposes of plausible deniability.

    "No, we didn’t BAN the personal importation of guns by private citizens – we just attached a few conditions to it. According to our lawyers, that’s not the same thing as a ban."



  38. Way Into Adventures on November 18, 2021 at 9:11 pm

    Can you recommend a video explaining how to get a demilitarized firearm back to the US?



  39. generalissimo lam on November 18, 2021 at 9:12 pm

    Look like I will never be getting a t97 from Canada.



  40. Ronald on November 18, 2021 at 9:12 pm

    Alright… so all I heard is that it’s impossible



  41. Dasitmane Ayylmao on November 18, 2021 at 9:14 pm

    Probably easier to a buy a cnc machine and then make your own gun like an M3 grease gun 😒



  42. Jakub Edelman on November 18, 2021 at 9:14 pm

    Is it legally possible to have a G36 rifle imported from Canada? They are a non restricted firearm.



  43. Makrov on November 18, 2021 at 9:14 pm

    Fuck! No can do.



  44. 7.62x39 on November 18, 2021 at 9:15 pm

    I want to import a Mauser from Pakistan. Currently owned by my vet grandpa I’m guessing this is going to be difficult



  45. Hunter Vapes on November 18, 2021 at 9:16 pm

    Guns from 1920 and prior just entered the chat



  46. Rusty M. Shackelford on November 18, 2021 at 9:17 pm

    What about exporting? Just asking.



  47. Lorenzo De Nicola on November 18, 2021 at 9:18 pm

    What if i own guns in a country (italy) and i want to bring them to the US in a state that allows them in their current shape? (29rd mags, telescopic stock, 14.5 inch barrel, surplus urss/nato guns)



  48. Floppyoneactual on November 18, 2021 at 9:18 pm

    Learned alot from this video! Thank you for making it!



  49. Osiris on November 18, 2021 at 9:18 pm

    Can the Lebedev Pl 15 be imported



  50. FatRown on November 18, 2021 at 9:18 pm

    Jesus.. bureaucrats could at least lube me up before they f*ck me so hard

    I just want an hk433 OR mp7 FFS. Very much dislike the government treating me like a child. "No thats dangerous." B*tch, i was in the Marines and handled more powerful weapons before I ever even had a chance to vote. Knock it off