anyone know of the age requirements to travel with a firearm? I am taking my two boys on a hunt in Africa in the future, and need to figure out firearm situation. The Fed. law indicate 18 yrs to own/travel with rifle or shotgun and 21yrs old for pistols, if I read the regulations correct. What is the age limit in Africa, RSA, Namibia and Zim?
thanks

QS, in Namibia and Zim I recon the limit will be 18 as well, as that is the legal age for ownership. The law recently changed in RSA, now stating 21 years, but from 18 with "sufficient motivation".

Quickshot- I know for certain that a hunting partner of mine took his 18 year old son to RSA on safari as a grad present, and although the boy owned the rifles here in the states, SAP confiscated the rifles in joberg because he wasnt 21, wouldnt release them until he left, and as a result of the confrontation. Keep the rifles in your name if you can, if your sons aren't 21. Just wanted to prevent that from ruining a great time with the kids! Good Hunting, BN

Sorry- meant to say "and as a result of the confrontation, he was damn near arrested by SAP". Office phone rang in the middle of my post. Doesn't work always get in the way?

Bwana,
thanks for the "heads Up" on the 21 years.

that is the kind of info I am after. My oldest son will be 18 before we leave to hunt. Is it also 21 for Namibia or Zim? I may have to take only two rifles with me if I can't have my oldest son check a gun also.
anyone else have a problem checking and transporting guns with their children--18yrs old?
thanks

I took my teenage daughters to hunt in RSA. We put one of their rifles on my wife's SAPS 520 and my other daughters rifle on my SAPS 520 and had no problem. We put my wifes name and my name on the 4457 form for the four rifles as well. Again, no issues.

quickshot, there is no limit on the amount of guns you personally can bring into Namibia on your name. So, you can easily bring 3-4 rifles, and put all the rifles on one Namibian import permit in your name.

For importating a gun into RSA: 21 without any doubt

(On another hand, the huge advantage in RSA is that my son, 15, is allowed to hunt without legal restriction)

You really shouldn't have any issues - just list all of the guns as your own, as earlier stated. I have taken my boys to RSA when they were as young as 12 + 14. We had a total of 6 rifles. I signed for all the guns as if they were my own. No one even questioned it. I did the same thing in Zim without issue. I don't understand why you would want to claim your son owned the gun? And by the way, it doesn't matter whose checked luggage contains the firearms. When I check in with my family, I get the bag tags for all of us and put them on the bags as I see fit. No one cares if the luggage tag says "Johnny" as long as you fill out the SAPS paperwork on arrival.
Enjoy the trip.

Bill

thanks for the info;

The difficulty is this:

Delta states: a maximum of 4 rifles per case and 11 lbs of ammo, and indicates only 1 gun case per person, also, your gun case counts as your one free bag luggage.

Air Namibia states: 1 case and weight limit of 10kg
South africa Airways states: no two guns of the same caliber.

If I could have one gun case checked under my 18 yr old son , then he could account for two guns and I could check a gun case with two or more guns. Better for luggage reasons.
If I have to check all guns, then I got a problem with limit of calibers and numbers etc.

Both of my sons shoot 270win and I shoot 300winmag, 375 H&H and 470 nitro. Obviously, I could take three rifles in one case and mix calibers but what a pain.Two gun cases would be better to take one 270(in each case) and throw in the 375 and 300 (one in each case also).

that would also allow more usable ammo.
The hunt I am considering is plains game AND DG.

The best solution will be to not oveernight is RSA and go directly to Namibia or Zim so I don't have the issue of two alike calibers (270win) this seems to be only a problem in RSA. RSA also as an age limit of 21 yrs.

I might be able to get three guns in my tuffpack but only can fit two guns in my storm case(I rather use the storm case).

Delta or United my not allow me to check two gun cases as my luggage---that would also be a problem
just trying to sort this mess out with all of the conflicting rules and regs.

J (quickshot), remember, whichever way you check your luggage, if you arrive in Namibia, with whatever calibers (even dupilcates) , the Namibian police (NOT Air Namibia) issue the import papers, and if you fill it in beforehand (or probably after as well), they will issue ALL the guns (once again, whatever caliber), on one import permit in YOUR name, if you so required. I see no prblem bringing in 2 x 270's and your 300/ 375/ 470 or even all three.

The other's seem to have Africa's regs pretty well covered.

For domestic flights in the USA, I took my rifle with me solo on a flight to Wyoming when I was 16 (4 years ago). Probably has changed a bit over the past four years, but I talked to the airline before hand and they said that your fine to fly alone with firearms if you are over 12 to any state except NY (go figure). Still was a pain at the ticket counter though; agent called 3 or 4 people educating himself about the regulations and I was getting watched like a hawk by a TSA person (all this in CA). Flight home from WY, no one blinked an eye (they even complimented me on what a nice antelope I shot).

quote:

And by the way, it doesn't matter whose checked luggage contains the firearms. When I check in with my family, I get the bag tags for all of us and put them on the bags as I see fit. No one cares if the luggage tag says "Johnny" as long as you fill out the SAPS paperwork on arrival.

You are making more out of this than necessary. Read the quote again. I have taken three 30.06's into RSA with my family, all under one SAPS form signed by me. NO questions!

The rules you are worrying about may be applied when you are traveling alone. But then you wouldn't have the issue of so many rifles or similar caliber. When traveling with family, and lots of guns, I have never had a problem. I always do all the paperwork in my name alone.


Bill