Shell casings...

[Kanchou]

Is it legal to bring shell casings to Japan? Some friends want them for souvenirs...

[Russell]

Is it legal to bring shell casings to Japan? Some friends want them for souvenirs...

A friend of my son brought some empty bullets from the US as souvenirs. That seems perfectly legal. Dunno about shell casings though.

[Bucky]

may need an import permit

When you bring back the hunting gun and bullets, you are required to submit a "Declaration of Accompanied Personal Effects and Unaccompanied Articles" and declare it to Customs. Hunting guns can be cleared as traveling goods just by presenting the Export Permit which was granted at the time of your departure from Japan. However, bullets require an Import Permit issued by the metropolitan or prefectural governor.

[Coligny]

A friend of my son brought some empty bullets from the US as souvenirs. That seems perfectly legal. Dunno about shell casings though.

Empty shell casing, expanded ammo should not pose any problem. And it's something that take few minutes to make on a lathe anyway.

Best thing to be sure is to show to the custom officer (duh). It's not like if you were smuggling nukular waste from fukushima anyway...

(usually, "bullets" refer as live ammo)

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[Greji]

A friend of my son brought some empty bullets from the US as souvenirs. That seems perfectly legal. Dunno about shell casings though.

Gut feeling is that they will be considered illegal. This by the fact is with the addition of gun powder and re-crimping you have a live shell. You may want to check with customs at your embassy. If you ask the J-fuzz, you may just earn you and your friend a search warrant for home and all personal property. Just like drugs, they don't play with guns, or ammunition. It is taboo and if the police learn about it, they will hound the shit out of you especially as an fg. It may not be worth the hassle even if it is allowed (which I doubt).

[Russell]

Gut feeling is that they will be considered illegal. This by the fact is with the addition of gun powder and re-crimping you have a live shell. You may want to check with customs at your embassy. If you ask the J-fuzz, you may just earn you and your friend a search warrant for home and all personal property. Just like drugs, they don't play with guns, or ammunition. It is taboo and if the police learn about it, they will hound the shit out of you especially as an fg. It may not be worth the hassle even if it is allowed (which I doubt).

There appears to be a misunderstanding caused by my use of the word "bullet": by saying it was empty, I mean there was supposedly no gun powder in it. I could not confirm this, because it was all sealed. My son's friend and his parents apparently presented these empty bullets to the J-customs, and the friend told my son that there was no problem. Anyway, I asked my son to return the souvenir to his friend, because I was not convinced about its harmlessness.

[Bucky]

This iskinda old, but it might be a precautionary tale. And he was LEAVING Japan.

NARITA, June 23 Kyodo

A 27-year-old American American,man was arrested Friday after he was found in possession of seven bullets at Narita airport, airport police said.

They said the suspect, Douglas Harralson, was about to leave for the United States when the bullets were found in his bag at around 1 p.m.

They quoted Harralson as saying he knows nothing about the bullets.

He told investigators he arrived in Japan on Tuesday to meet a male acquaintance living in Okinawa Prefecture, southwestern Japan, according to according to police.

[Coligny]

There appears to be a misunderstanding caused by my use of the word "bullet": by saying it was empty, I mean there was supposedly no gun powder in it. I could not confirm this, because it was all sealed. My son's friend and his parents apparently presented these empty bullets to the J-customs, and the friend told my son that there was no problem. Anyway, I asked my son to return the souvenir to his friend, because I was not convinced about its harmlessness.

I'm pretty sure they sell some to gun nuts in paintball shops...

(still searching for a vietnam era Mk82HD snakeye to put on my wall... fap fap fap...)

[Coligny]

This iskinda old, but it might be a precautionary tale. And he was LEAVING Japan.

Yeah, boarding a plane with live ammo is usually considered a bad move...

[Greji]

Yeah, boarding a plane with live ammo is usually considered a bad move...

Especially when they are packed in a .357....

[Samurai_Jerk]

I've read something in the past (can't remember where though) that even a key chain made from a spent casing can get in trouble with Japanese customs.

[Kanchou]

Gut feeling is that they will be considered illegal. This by the fact is with the addition of gun powder and re-crimping you have a live shell. You may want to check with customs at your embassy. If you ask the J-fuzz, you may just earn you and your friend a search warrant for home and all personal property. Just like drugs, they don't play with guns, or ammunition. It is taboo and if the police learn about it, they will hound the shit out of you especially as an fg. It may not be worth the hassle even if it is allowed (which I doubt).

If someone can get ahold of reloading equipment, powder, primers, and bullets, the last thing customs should worry about is a handfull of primers.

[Coligny]

If someone can get ahold of reloading equipment, powder, primers, and bullets, the last thing customs should worry about is a handfull of primers.

Stop being rational please, we are talking aboot gunz here...

[Kanchou]

If someone can get ahold of reloading equipment, powder, primers, and bullets, the last thing customs should worry about is a handfull of primers.

I mean casings.

[Kanchou]

FWIW I seemed to have gotten them through without any problems.

[Yokohammer]

FWIW I seemed to have gotten them through without any problems.

The real question being ... did the nice folks at customs see them and let you through with them, or did they simply not see them?