Legality of shipping ivory auto into the USA from Europe?

[pearlroosterman]

Is it legal to ship a documented legal ivory knife into the USA from Europe if the knife is an automatic knife??

[texoma]

I live in a state that allows automatic knives but I don't think US Customs or Border Protection allows automatic knives into the Great USA
Try going to the Custom site or google it

[Railsplitter]

I don’t know the answer but I do know that some states in the USA prohibit the purchase of Ivory whether it’s legal elsewhere or not. I wouldn’t count on legal documentation to matter in those states.

[Madmarco]

It would depend on which state you're sending it to, PRman, you need to check online which states are legal for automatic knives, and also for blade lengths since that's also a factor. But, I believe you will have more problems with the Ivory, to my understanding it's been designated as illegal due to extinction reasons.
Best of luck, and please show us pictures if it arrives.

[Bill DeShivs]

Importation of switchblades into the US is illegal-period.
The ivory further complicates matters.

[jw517]

It needs to be antique ivory I think. How they figure that out is a question.when I was a youngster my great aunt sent my brother and I two sperm whale teeth from Cali. That was before all the ivory restrictions.

[1967redrider]

Illegal, yet there's thousands, maybe millions.

[Bill DeShivs]

OP asked about the legality- not how many were here.

[jw517]

If customs sees it,it won’t matter what state it’s destined for. They seem to look the other way unless it’s A “BUNCH” of switchblades. I doubt customs really knows fake from real ivory. I sold a armguard to a person in Australia that had engineered crocodile hide on it. It was seized before it left the country,even though it only looked real. Just sayin.

[SwedgeHead]

Even if a state allows them, crossing state borders makes it a federal case and is illegal.
Being international you also have to declare it, and if the doc is falsified that is another offense.
Domestically still, you can order about anything you want and it will ship to your door, even through USPS - which as federal again itself is not legal.

Its a risk in almost all cases unless bought and kept within a legal state boundary.

[Railsplitter]

Even if a state allows them, crossing state borders makes it a federal case and is illegal.
Being international you also have to declare it, and if the doc is falsified that is another offense.
Domestically still, you can order about anything you want and it will ship to your door, even through USPS - which as federal again itself is not legal.

Its a risk in almost all cases unless bought and kept within a legal state boundary.

I am often perplexed by this. The only company that I know of that makes and sells automatic knives but refuses to ship them is Hogue. You can order manual knives directly from their website but if you want one of their autos you have to buy it from a dealer.

They also warrant their autos but if you have a claim you have to ship to the dealer. Unlike manual knives that can be shipped directly to Hogue for warranty claims.

There may be more that follow this law but Hogue is the only one I know of.

Yet dealers and individuals ship autos over state lines all day long.

It must be a law that isn’t strictly enforced but I sure as heck won’t do it. I would be that one guy who got busted.

[Mario]

Importing autos into the US from anywhere abroad is federally illegal. However, as Rick said, it’s hardly ever enforced. The feds ultimately have more important things to worry about. It’s still possible, despite the very minuscule likelihood, somebody could get caught and busted as it has happened before (Spyderco once got fined over importing balisong parts).

As for the ivory, there are laws on that for sure with regards to importing, shipping, etc. I’m not a lawyer and don’t know the exact language in those laws.