Bought brass from Norway Customs took it sent me letter saying may face charges

[farmbif]

Any info or insight would be helpful, I'm not a lawyer. I ordered some once fired 30-06 Norma brass from a guy in Norway advertising on gunbroker. I sent payment over a year ago. It never showed up.
Last week I got letter from US Customs in Chicago saying it was confiscated and they want to know if I want challenge their authority and hire a lawyer pay some fees to try and get it released, and by the way, I may be facing criminal charges.
I never expected anything like this ordering 150 pc of once fired brass from someone on gunbroker who has more than 200 positive feedback comments from people just like me that bought his brass.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I'm not a lawyer, and I'm not giving legal advice, just saying what I'd probably do under the circumstances. I'd write a letter to Customs stating the circumstances of the matter and pointing out that there have been 200 similar transactions recorded without any action. Very often people will respond reasonably to reasonably laid out facts. There are so many government employees attempting to enforce so many laws and regulations that once in awhile someone is bound to make an erroneous interpretation -- probably what has happened here. I seriously doubt if they'd prosecute you for anything short of a boatload. Remain courteous.

[Premod70]

Call your US Representative's office and ask for legal advice/aid.

[HATCH]

Your out of luck.
Ammunition brass requires a import permit.
Your best bet it to play dumb and let it go. They will most likely not press charges against you because of the quantity ordered and the fact it's your first time.

Do not waste your time and money getting a lawyer over 150 pieces of brass cause your not gonna win and could potentially face criminal charges vs just letting it go.




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[HATCH]

And don't contact your representative.
You can contact customs and tell them that you were unaware that you were in violation of the law.
That you are willing to forfeit your shipment and will not do it again


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[Zbench]

Read the thread I started at the top of this sub forum. If you buy ITAR controlled stuff and have it shipped here, or you send ITAR controlled stuff abroad, you are playing with fire. The playing dumb approach worked for me. Just not worth it.

[EDG]

Don't listen to any of these guys. Talk to a lawyer that knows a bit about small arms ammo import.

[silverbuzzard]

write it off and don't buy that stuff outside USA again !

[dtknowles]

Don't listen to any of these guys. Talk to a lawyer that knows a bit about small arms ammo import.

If you can get a lawyer to talk for free, the cost of a couple hundred pieces of brass will not get you much time on the billable hour clock. That assumes your time is free as well.

Tim

[jmorris]

Hmm, lawyer or 150 brass cases....

I have two in my immediate family and I know of no brass cases that would be worth the consultation fee much less any proceedings.

$1/ea new here for what you bought, that's less than a "sit down" with an attorney that would do you any good.

How did you pay? That would be my first choice to back out vs go further into the muck...

[Ed in North Texas]

I would also suggest you contact the GunBroker staff about this. It is unlikely to do you any good, assuming the advice that it is illegal to import fired brass is correct. But it might help someone else if the GunBroker staff requires the seller to stipulate that he can not ship to the US. And who knows, they have been very helpful to me in the past when I had problems, perhaps they can obtain a partial refund (though that would have been much easier if you hadn't waited so long for the shipment).

Good luck.

[tbj555]

Don't worry about it, the seller is the one in trouble not you! You can't stop people from shipping you anything. Unless you tell them you ordered it or that have proof you did then no worries. I know this from a friend that traveled to Amsterdam and sent a bunch of small packages of hash back to the states ( to me and a few more friends) they caught a few of them and they emptied the package and then added that letter saying the same thing. If you want the contents call this number. Well no one ever called and never heard from them again.

[jonp]

And don't contact your representative.
You can contact customs and tell them that you were unaware that you were in violation of the law.
That you are willing to forfeit your shipment and will not do it again


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^^^^This. You just learned a lesson. Let it go and buy your brass here. Why did you get it on Gunbroker from Norway? Was it that cheap? 30-06 brass isn't exactly hard to come by.

[farmbif]

I appreciate all the advice and don't know which way to go, I am a law abiding citizen, I don't do things that are morally, ethically or legally wrong, I have never been arrested or even accused of a crime other than a couple traffic tickets. I really can't afford a lawyer and after getting this notice they can keep the brass. I was just thinking at $42/150 I Norma brass is top quality stuff. As far as the law, I guess its just on par with the state of our nation at this day and age, an individual law abiding citizen can't get a box of brass from out of the country but companies like Lapua and Norma can send it over by the boatload because they pay the government a fee and the politicians can spend like money in their own piggy bank.
I thinking I should let them know they can keep it since there is a problem and explain the situation how I ordered it from gunbroker one of the reasons being that more than 200 others said it was a legitimate deal and the same seller still has the ad on gunbroker and I sent him message asking if he has a permit to **** to the US and have yet to get response.

[tomme boy]

https://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/fo...ammunition-and

[4719dave]

Well this sounds like a page out of my story book .I sold brass to a guy in kangaroo land ,guy said ya no problem we buy brass here all the time ,so I shipped it ,I even posted threads if I could with no replies I got the letters too .custom's took mine as well .there's a phone number on that slip to call tell them to keep it ...you have to have some license to export brass is what I was told ..

[HATCH]

Farmbif, you are the one that has to have a permit to import not him.


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[farmbif]

4719dave, we have both had our brass confiscated, I'm from down the road in north Cape Coral, nice to meet you neighbor. After 27 years here it has changed to the point I bought place in TN an in process of a move to have my own backyard range. Anyway I was just thinking that the brass will most likely end up in a govt auction, that's what really gets me. I certainly would have never bit on the ad if I knew it were illegal to buy from out of country. I learned lesson the hard way, I guess I'll just get a box of new Lapua brass from local store to see if I can ring last bit of accuracy out of old Rem 700. I am just hoping they will drop the issue and don't want to make an example with a case. All this while I'm waiting on deliver of a mold from MP in Slovania--Is it legal to buy a mold from out of the country?

[HATCH]

Yes it's legal for the mold.


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[dtknowles]

I appreciate all the advice and don't know which way to go, I am a law abiding citizen, I don't do things that are morally, ethically or legally wrong, I have never been arrested or even accused of a crime other than a couple traffic tickets. I really can't afford a lawyer and after getting this notice they can keep the brass. I was just thinking at $42/150 I Norma brass is top quality stuff. As far as the law, I guess its just on par with the state of our nation at this day and age, an individual law abiding citizen can't get a box of brass from out of the country but companies like Lapua and Norma can send it over by the boatload because they pay the government a fee and the politicians can spend like money in their own piggy bank.
I thinking I should let them know they can keep it since there is a problem and explain the situation how I ordered it from gunbroker one of the reasons being that more than 200 others said it was a legitimate deal and the same seller still has the ad on gunbroker and I sent him message asking if he has a permit to **** to the US and have yet to get response.

Be careful you might be dealing with jackbooted thugs with no heart or conscience. If you give them the lead that you used gunbroker they could then have evidence enough to charge you. I would just let it alone and hope it dies.

Tim