I just returned from a trip to Africa and returned thru Atlanta. In the Customs office, the officer read my serial number aloud to another officer that was typing it into the computer along with my information on my passport. He also verbally confirmed the caliber to the officer typing in the computer. I don't remember him even looking at my 4457's.

Why are they putting this in their computer?
Who has access to it?
How long is it stored and where?
What is it going to be used for?
Federal law makes it illegal for a federal agency to maintain a registry of personal firearms...so what are they doing with it?
Anybody have the same experience?

I came through ATL a couple days days ago....you may have even been with me.
They looked at my 4457 quickly compared to Serial#
You are right in that the rest/majority of time was entering into system...
Why? Not sure...first time i remember that honestly other than the quick physical check.

I came in yesterday morning from Johannesburg. I don't think he unfolded my 4457's, he just picked up each rifle and read the serial number out to the officer keying it in. When I got the 4457, the officer came out to my car and confirmed the numbers and signed them right there. He didn't make a copy or anything...just handed it back to me and said have a good time.

quote:

Why are they putting this in their computer?

"Supposedly" all they are doing is checking the serial number through a stolen firearms data base...... Nothing is kept......

I gotta wonder though.......when you get the 4457 the serial number is run through "the stolen firearms database", if you have the 4457, why the need to re-check?


.

And if you believe that...

1. when you filled out the 4457 anything stolen would have red flagged you right there at the customs office. The customs guy here just checked the rifle SN against the 4457, and did not do anything on his computer.

2. If they were checking to see if it were stolen, the check-in before you ever got on the plane would have shown that.

If they were doing a check to make sure you brought it back with you, then it makes sense. But, only if you were already in the system.

When I came back from SA in 2013 my gun didn't show up in their computer and they couldn't figure out why. They asked if it was the same one that I brought out of the country and I had to re-show them my 4457 to prove it was.

They asked if it was the first time I had taken it out of the country as it wasn't in their computer database. I told him it wasn't and that my 4457 was dated 2008 and it has been out of the country three times since then.

After 20 minutes of looking they let me go but they never did find my gun in their database.

I flew into Dulles(IAD) last month form JNB via Dubai and the customs lady took my Global Entry paper and said, "You are done, sweetheart." (!!!) I reminded her that I had a rifle and would she like to see my 4457. She turned to me again and repeated what she had said earlier with a smile!!

Just received my Global Entry card, I hope it works as well as advertised?

I finally received my global entry card, after having to file an appeal of my denial for my prior custom's broker's mistake. In short, and unbeknownst to me, she had failed to file a nominal cost bond for my trophy shipment and I subsequently was denied global entry. She paid it, I filed an appeal and 8 months later got approved. Great to know that there are some reasonable individuals looking at these issues.

Wasn't even asked for it, 4457, when arriving 6 AM on a sunday morning last month in Dulles. They just waved us thru and I grabbed the gun and re checked it. Wasn't even asked to open it or check it at all. Makes you scratch your head sometimes..

I had sent an email to the NRA after coming in thru Atlanta and the fact Customs seemed to be entering my information into their computer system. I was contacted by the NRA today to let me know that they asked questions of their contacts in Atlanta Customs and Border Protection and ran into a brick wall regarding the information keyed into the computer. They asked that I discuss the process I experienced in Atlanta on my way home from Johannesburg. They are now planning to go back to certain Congressmen to get the answers. On the surface, it sounds like Customs was collecting the information that they originally wanted to accumulate with the ITN/export data.

If anyone else experienced similar data collection, please post here to let me know when and which office.

Ed,

My experience was at Washington, Dulles in Sept of 2013. The Custom's people definitely had a gun database in their computer and were perturbed about not finding my gun listed in it.

I told the NRA director in Atlanta that someone had mentioned that their gun was not in the Customs data base. The NRA is going to pursue the computer base since they ran into a brick wall with Customs in Atlanta.