Buying Antique Firearms DE to USA

[bwahl]

Does anyone have knowledge on the process (if any) on buying an antique firearm from Germany and shipping to the USA?
It is my understanding that most single-shot antiquities and needle guns are exempt from much regulation and Germans can freely own them.
Similar weapons can be shipped relatively easily within the US - would this be the same coming from Germany? Is it simply a matter of how the sender declares it?

Thank you and regards,
-BW

 

[cptbob]

It’s doable but it’s not an easy process. The big hurdle is on the German side. The German government requires an export license for all firearms. Even old ones. (I needed one for a muzzle loading pistol). To get that you will need to prove to the German government that the item is legal to import here. To do that you need to submit an atf form 6 to the atf. This will come back stamped ‘no permit required’. You may also have to air freight it instead of use the normal parcel services

 

[LangeKerl]

A friend of mine brought back a couple of Zündnadelgewehre for me: one from the now defunct Waffenbörse Kassel, and another from the Kube Auction.

Honestly though, other than the latter you can find pretty much everything in the US. There are great antique arms shows in the US, as well as superb older collections to tap into.