A soldier from Denmark that posts on another board is looking for mags to take with him to Afghanistan - I recommended PMAG’s, but no one will sell/ship to him since he’s in Europe.
Anyone have any ideas? I recommended that he email Magpul…
Thanks!
ITAR control forbid the shipping of mags outside CONUS – so his options would be to have his unit apply for an export permit for them via a vendor that will do exports. The other option would be to find if he is located near a US unit and has access to the APO - then find someone who will mail to an APO.
Kevin is correct. Best thing is ship it to an APO once he gets there.
I put 15 Pmags and two paperback books in a box and shipped it to my APO. On the customs form I wrote “books and magazines” and had no problems.
I have never had any problems, and never heard of anyone else having legal problems. If they do find it, they just sent it back to the sender.
Thanks, guys…I’ll forward this to the soldier in question. I appreciate the quick response!
Germany is your best friend. PMAGS are imported in Europe. You just have to find the right shop. PM me for details.
Big thumbs up to Impact! Thanks again!
If it’s illegal to export, generally it’s illegal to send to an APO since that’s considered export, too. For example, I can’t legally ship body armor / plates to an APO because of these restrictions…restrictions that have cost me more than several sales.
You should have used Iraq Ninjas technique. But some cereal bowls in with the plates and list the contents as plates and bowls! 
LOL. That’s some funny stuff.
That is rather strange as I know many of guys who had extra/ better kit sent to them here in country via the APO. I think there is some confusion in the ITAR wording. I just recently had to go through this BS with weapons parts and accesories. When I contacted the various agencies DDTC, BIS, etc…I got a Fred Astaire tap dance.
Sometimes I wonder who’s side people are on the GWOT – APO items for troops and contractors who are on the side of freedom are not an ITAR issue – its the odd EBay items from scumbags who rip off DRMO ect.
Please note they are legit shops in Europe that carry quite a lot of gear. They go through the loops of the US export administration perfectly legally. It takes time but they will eventually get them. At the end of the day it’s all about money, even for the US govt.
I’am finding this out…
Trust me, I feel your pain. Especially since our shipping people in the U.S have no real clue and start applying ITAR to cleaning kits, roll pins, etc…I just had some M249’s and MAG58’s sent over and they removed the firing pins because “someone” said so. When I inquired no one could show me in writing where this exists. We had all the approvals from BATFE on up.
Is it illegal to ship items like scope mounts to Canada?
Shihan,
I think if one were a lawyer and read the ITAR they would say yes. I would have to re-read that section again. It seems very confusing to me as well as vague.
Thanks thats good enough for me.
I am reviving this thread, since I just had an encounter that is relevant to this topic.
I just ordered some Magpul Ranger Plates for my M4 magazines. My order was denied because of ITAR. I am a U.S. Soldier, fighting in Iraq and my shipping address was to my APO.
How can little plastic attachments for the bottom of my magazines be an ITAR item and why in the heck do we have laws that prevent troops from receiving gear that they need? It would be great if the military provided these items at no cost to the soldiers, but a bureaucracy this big will not move on anything unless there is congressional pressure.
What bothers me the most is, like KevinB stated, an APO address is usually going to a member of the Armed Forces that is deployed overseas. I have been denied software and movies from Amazon because shipping to an APO is considered “exporting”. The last time I checked, an APO address on base is essentially American soil (to some degree). Heck, there are fewer foreigners receiving mail through the APO system than through USPS.
That’s my rant, I will go and sit down now.
Avenger,
I completely understand your frustration and I believe that it is a case of over-interpretation of the laws. 22 CFR part 121 contains the pertinent information relating export of small arms and related items. I believe it is in this section that people are overthinking. In a phone conversation that I had with someone over at DDTC they told me that military personnel and units were exempt from ITAR. What these businesses should do is submit a letter to the appropriate agency either State Dept. or DDTC and ask for clarification on the matter the same way people in the U.S submit queries to the BATFE for guidance and interpretation.
Your only option at this point is to seek another vendor or have them sent to a U.S address and then have them forwarded. This happens quite often in the case of contractors. As for the APO it is my understanding that a military APO address is considered a U.S address and not a foreign address. For example you cannot e-file your taxes with a foreign address, but you can with an APO address.
My understanding of ITAR is that practically anything that’s considered defensive technology (rifle stocks, magazines, parts, etc) may not be exported accept to an APO and only when it’s under $100 in value.
The PMAG plates should have been okay.