Currently overseas near Russia, have a friend who claims to have a 1911 from WWII. He says it was his grandfather's who brought it back from the war. Is there a way for me to import it to the US if he wants to sell it? I thought I had heard there were problems importing military weapons back to the US after they had been given out. But, I thought I would ask and see if there was something I had heard wrong or if someone knew the correct way for me to bring the pistol back.
Buying illegal handguns from Russians? How do you feel about spending the rest of your life in Sibera doing hard time?
Well, I said I was near Russia, not in Russia. If you look online, there are quite a few 1911's that have been sent overseas as part of the Lend Lease or sales to foreign countries that are now back in the US, including some from Russia. Several are on auction sites, or appear to have come back by legal means, or have been posted as purchased by members of this forum. All I am asking is if someone can explain the process to me.
The guns you see are brought in by legal importers. My point is you are dealing in contraband in a country where you are not a citizen. You can get in trouble just discussing the purchase of handgun in some countries.
Hang in there Kecklc, hopefully someone will come along, who knows something about your question and can give you a useful answer. You could try going to the nearest US Consulate, and ask them.
An individual can obtain a license to import a firearm, but there is a fair amount of red tape and time to get approval. It is not the kind of thing you just do on a whim. The US also requires a statement from the exporting country saying that it is OK with them. Sometimes, it takes months or years for importers to arrange the whole thing and get all the papers signed. It is not that easy for an individual to do. I will note that there seem to be quite a few of those Russian marked 1911's floating around in the European collector market today, and at least some are fake. A European collector posted some pictures on one of the sites a while back asking about one he was considering buying. I had to tell him it was fake. Jim
Jackman, Yes I have seen more than one American citizen locked up over there. They have no idea how different the laws are. Then they and their families spend a fortune and years getting them back home.
its just a 1911.. dime a dozen over here in the states.. for now.. Your best bet is to leave it where it is and just buy one thats already here. Improting requires an importers license and the stuff youre inporting has to be signed off on by both governments.
I really wouldn't call Russian contract 1911's a "dime a dozen" (the Blue Book rates one at almost $10k), but getting one in Europe and trying to bring it back is certainly not worth the problems that could arise if a law is violated. Legal fees and court costs, plus fines and possible jail time if convicted, will make $10k seem pretty cheap. And the gun is lost to boot. Not to mention that the gun might not even be genuine. We have all heard the stories about how "my father brought this S&W Model 29 back from WWII and he used it to shoot Hitler, Mussolini and Tojo .... " Jim
Actually the marking reads "English order" in Russian. No one seems sure when or by whom the marking was applied. Some collectors think it was factory, but AFAIK there is no proof of that, and it might have been applied in England. The pictures I saw of the fake gun showed crude and misspelled markings; no one having seen a picture of the originals, or even a Russian dictionary, could have been fooled. Jim
