STERLING, Va. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reminds overseas-bound travelers of the importance of complying with federal laws regulating the temporary and permanent exportation of firearms after officers seized a handgun and firearms accessories from a Nigeria-bound man on Sunday.
to export from the U.S.
During outbound baggage examinations on March 17, CBP officers discovered a Taurus G2c 9mm Luger handgun, two 12-round magazines, 25 rounds of ammo, and a taser inside a lock box in the traveler’s baggage.
CBP officers interviewed the traveler, a Nigerian citizen and U.S. lawful permanent resident, and learned that he did not possess the appropriate export licenses to take the handgun out of the United States.
Prior to departing the United States, travelers exporting firearms and ammo are required to complete a Certificate of Registration for Personal Effects Taken Abroad [CBP form 4457], at a CBP port of entry, and file an Electronic Export Information (EEI) for temporary export of personally owned firearms via the Automated Export System (AES).
Additionally, travelers may be required to possess an export license from the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), or a Form 9 - Application and Permit for Permanent Exportation of Firearms [ATF Form 5320.9] from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
The Nigeria-bound traveler possessed none of the required documentation. CBP officers detained the weapon and accessories and released the man to continue on to Nigeria.
On April 3, Department of Commerce BIS confirmed that the traveler did require a license to export the firearm and accessories. On April 4, CBP seized the firearm, ammo and accessories as a violation of U.S. firearms export control laws.
As the world emerges from a nearly two-year COVID-19 induced international travel slumber, it is important that hunters departing on safari are reminded of U.S. firearms export control laws. Hunters are encouraged to visit Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s website for additional guidance on lawfully exporting firearms and firearms accessories temporarily or permanently from the United States. That guidance includes frequently asked questions and a quick firearms export quiz.
“Customs and Border Protection wants to ensure that people who intend to travel from the United States with their firearms do so lawfully so that they can enjoy a problem-free departure or return to the United States,” said Daniel Escobedo, CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Washington, D.C. “Oftentimes, firearms being smuggled out of the United States are destined to the hands of transnational criminal organizations who use those weapons to terrorize or hurt innocent victims. CBP’s border security mission helps to protect the defenseless by intercepting illegally exported firearms.”
CBP's border security mission is led at ports of entry by CBP officers from the Office of Field Operations. CBP officers screen international travelers and cargo and search for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality. Learn what CBP accomplished during "A Typical Day" in 2021.
Please visit CBP Ports of Entry to learn more about how CBP’s Office of Field Operations secures our nation’s borders. Learn more about CBP at www.CBP.gov.
Follow the Director of CBP’s Baltimore Field Office on Twitter at @DFOBaltimore for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos, and CBP’s Office of Field Operations on Instagram at @cbpfieldops.