Siguiendo con el tema que salió en el foro hace un par de meses sobre Iberia y las armas, he recibido de la revista Sports & Anfield un artículo: Viajando con armas de fuego escrito por Craig Boddington considerado uno de los cazadores internacionales más reputados, autor de 20 libros y miles de artículos de caza en Africa y de montaña. Os paso el artículo en inglés de la revista donde habla con mucho criterio de aspectos relacionados con este tema, Muchas lineas aereas y países están cambiando las normas de forma unilateral y el papeleo necesario se hace mucho más pesado y sobre todo desconocido para los interesados ....Si esto sigue así, tendremos que alquilar cada vez que salgamos fuera a cazar!!!!!

saludos,
Alfonso Treviño.

New Airline Regulations
General Rules of Travel
General Regulations by Region
Preventing Lost Baggage/Firearms
By Craig Boddington

The problem, though, is that the rules keep changing. It is purely a miracle that my cased .375 Ruger is sitting in the corner of my hotel room, and that I have 40 rounds of ammo in my duffel. This is because I didn’t follow my own advice and make sure I understood the newest rules. The way you get to central and west African countries such as Cameroon is through Paris. This is my ninth safari to this part of Africa. I’ve always started well in advance with a country gun permit application, and then it’s been a simple matter of declaring the rifle and getting on the plane.

New Airline Regulations

It is always wise to check with the airline, because things can change. I didn’t check, and things had changed! Air France (like KLM and others) now requires advance notification of travel with firearms and ammo. A travel agent who handles numbers of hunters will probably pick up on such details. My travel agent, Ellen Clark of Value Vacations, is marvelous at saving me money, but she’s fairly new to hunting travel, so she missed this important step—and so did I. It could have been a disaster. My hunting partner, Kirk Kelso, happened to talk to a friend who had just returned from Cameroon, and it was passed along as an, “Oh, by the way, did you get your firearms clearance from Air France?” No, neither of us had.

I weighed and measured the gun case and the ammo, and we phoned in the dimensions and the specific firearms information about 96 hours before departure. Two days later we called back and it was confirmed that clearance was granted and the information was in the computer. It was still there when I checked in, and I have my rifle and its ammo.

Amsterdam used to be one of the simplest and easiest airports to transit with firearms, but that has changed, too. There is an application that must be filled out and faxed to the Dutch authorities, and they will fax back a clearance letter. I had occasion to do this last November enroute to Tanzania. Their system works, but it’s best not wait until the last minute.

Clearly this is a coming thing, and I’m sure travel with firearms will continue to require more planning and become ever more onerous. I regret this, because for me setting up the perfect rifle for a given hunt is part of the fun and an important part of the planning and anticipation. The option is to simply not take a firearm and borrow or rent one on site. This is a sound option for many (not all!) hunting destinations, but if you go this route it’s critical to make certain your outfitter or professional hunter is advised that you aren’t bringing guns, and that he will have suitable arms and ammo available. (Note that their idea of “suitable” may or may not be the same as yours.)

Last year I went on a Balkan chamois hunt in Macedonia. I could have taken a rifle, but it was a short hunt and I needed to carry mountain gear and cold weather clothing. My Macedonian buddy, Saso Ivanov, told me he had a Merkel 6.5x68 with a Schmidt & Bender scope I could use. With artillery like that available, I couldn’t see schlepping a gun case for a three-day hunt, so I used his rifle and of course it worked perfectly.

In some cases there may be no choice at all. We Americans actually have it pretty good, and we are not reciprocal in this regard. It is almost impossible for a hunter from elsewhere in the world to bring a hunting rifle into the United States. For that matter, since 9/11, Canadian and Mexican hunters who wish to merely transit the United States enroute to another country may encounter insurmountable problems with firearms. At this writing, with the exception of a few oddball hunting destinations, Americans can travel with firearms provided all rules are complied with all paperwork is properly done. Since we can, in general I prefer to take my own guns.

General Rules of Travel

Again, always check with airlines, especially foreign carriers, to find out if advance notification is required. Otherwise the rules are pretty simple. Firearms must be in a lockable hard case. (Don’t forget the lock, and carry a spare) Disassembly (broken down, or bolt removed) is recommended, but be sure to check one last time to make sure the firearm is empty before you put it in the case. I know that sounds silly, but twice in my life I’ve seen firearms discharged in crowded airports during the inspection process! Ammunition should be in original factory containers, and must not be more than a total of five kilograms (eleven pounds).

There are two rules that seem subject to interpretation. One regards the number of firearms you are allowed to carry. Not too long ago I had three firearms in a case, and was required to return one to my car. This is not a rule that is written anywhere, but there are limits to how much you can argue without getting physically ejected from the airport (or worse). So I recommend no more than two firearms per person. There is also much confusion as to whether the ammunition may be locked in your gun case (which is currently legal and seems to me much safer), or whether it should be separate in your other checked baggage. The latter is the most common interpretation. Be prepared to do it the way they want it. Erring on the side of caution, I put my ammo in a little tackle box that can be locked, and I carry a lock for that as well.

Most of the time you will encounter no problems at all if you step to the counter, smile, state that you have firearms, unloaded and cased; and that you have ammunition, “less than five kilograms, in original factory containers.” And keep smiling!

General Regulations by Region

As far as destinations go, regulations vary widely and wildly. At this writing two common destinations that are simplest for firearms are Namibia and Zimbabwe. In both countries the firearm form is merely filled out on arrival, and it rarely takes more than five minutes. South Africa used to be this way, but now a draconian multi-page form is required. Many people seem terrified by this form, and businesses have been built around assisting in South African gun clearance. Yes, you can pay someone to help, but you can also do it yourself. The form is not that complex. There are some other issues, however. You must (repeat must) obtain a “letter of invitation” from your outfitter, and (essentially echoing his letter) you should write your own letter requesting a temporary South African permit. You must also have “proof of ownership” of your firearms. For American citizens, the little U.S. Customs form 4457 “Certificate Of Registration For Personal Effects Taken Abroad” suffices. It takes about three minutes max to obtain this form at any U.S. Customs office, although it takes me three hours each way to drive to the nearest Customs facility. Whatever it takes, you are courting serious hassles if you overlook this step.

The South African procedure is awful only because it used to be so much simpler, but there is another problem. South Africa has the largest hunting industry in Africa, with more than 8,000 hunting visitors annually. Especially during peak season (June through August) the line can be long, so allow plenty of time for connections, in this case three hours minimum. Please note that the entire procedure, including the outfitter invitation letter, is required even if you are just overnighting in South Africa enroute to a neighboring country. The only way to avoid this is to go transit and not enter South Africa, which may or may not be possible depending on connections.

Elsewhere in Africa, and the rest of the world, it is common to have to obtain a gun permit prior to departure. Sometimes the cost is considerable. My Cameroon “Tourist Visa with Gun Permit” cost $741 (ouch), and even in Mexico the gun permit costs as much or more than the hunting license. This makes Canada’s fifty-buck license, available on entry, seem a veritable bargain—and despite the hassle, South Africa’s permit is, after all, free!

Wherever you go, your outfitter and/or booking agent must and will provide you with the information and steer you through the process. Don’t wait until the last minute, and if serial numbers are required in advance, make a decision early about the gun you are taking and don’t change your mind.

Preventing Lost Baggage/Firearms

Once in a while I hear about firearms coming up missing in transit, obviously stolen somewhere along the way. I believe this to be extremely rare, rare enough that it has never happened to me or even to anyone that I know personally. But it can happen. Trip insurance is thus a good idea, especially if you travel with valuable guns. Other good insurance includes marking and double-marking all of your bags with clear contact info. And perhaps the best advice I can offer: Do not allow your travel agent to book a tight connection. Two hours is minimal for any international connection, or even a domestic connection when you’re headed out of the country.

I am certain the greatest risk for theft occurs when bags don’t make their scheduled flight. Of course this is not uncommon; it has happened to me many times, and so far (touch wood) my bags have shown up on the next flight, or the next day. Even with adequate connecting time this is going to happen now and again, but the best way to avoid it is to allow plenty of time, and do one thing more: When your bags are tagged inspect the baggage tags yourself and make sure the flights and destinations are correct. Then fly with confidence—but make sure you have everything you absolutely must have to survive in your carry-on bag: Medications, extra eyeglasses, camera, binoculars, shoes you can hunt in. If worst comes to worst, you can borrow, buy, or beg all the rest and still have a great hunt