Japan customs say pens need weapons import liscence.

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Although this effects several of our members like Chris, in a sense it is a good thing. First they are looking at what company the product came from. Smith & Wesson Japan has some very strict laws and they are doing their best to make sure it is not circumvented. Now think about the economy of the country you are in. Would it be a bad thing to increase the duties or make a product difficult to import if it can be produced just as well in your home country? While the whole thing sounds kind of stupid on the outside, there may be a very good purpose to what they are doing. I do not know but looking at it from another angle always helps.
 
GoatRider said:
RTFA. They're bullet pens. Would you try to take a bullet pen through airport security?
Click to expand...

Yep I would and yes I have. Several times actually. I have flown round trip about 8 times this year, and I ALWAYS travel with several pens. Never miss a sales opportunity!

I usually have about 3-5 of each of my pen types to include .50 cal and other REAL bullet pens and then several of the knock off bullet pens from PSI or Woodcraft.

As soon as I show business cards and that they are pens, I get a "have a nice flight" and off I go.

Michael
 
Fountain pens. Transport Safety Admin.

Everyone,

The fountain pen thing is ridiculous. Do Japanese fountain pen manufacturers or nib manufacturers require an export license? NO !!!

After reading in the NRA Mag about the promotional "Silver Bullet" they gave away years ago getting confiscated by TSA people. I am really surprised about being able to transport any cartridge pens. That so called "Silver Bullet" was some pot metal or junk, chrome plated, with a hole drilled through to put on a cord, chain, or key ring. The darned thing weighed like it was made of lead. Oh yes, it was solid metal, not hollow.

You gentlemen have restored my faith somewhat in our Government as well.

Wonder how the PSI bolt action pens travel on persons or carry on luggage, anyone tried it?

Charlie
 
While I agree that this is ludicrous, I also understand how something like this can happen... one customs official has a questions, a brain fart or something and holds up the shipment on what ever pretext he has dreamed up... no other customs officer will override his decision... a supervisor couldn't but most often won't until the first officer is satisfied or changes his mind... but if Japan's customs service has procedures similar to USA, there is an appeals procedure that can and may override his hold... other wise, the importer has to convince the original customs officer that he is wrong and they are right...
 
IPD_Mr said:
Although this effects several of our members like Chris, in a sense it is a good thing. First they are looking at what company the product came from. Smith & Wesson Japan has some very strict laws and they are doing their best to make sure it is not circumvented. Now think about the economy of the country you are in. Would it be a bad thing to increase the duties or make a product difficult to import if it can be produced just as well in your home country? While the whole thing sounds kind of stupid on the outside, there may be a very good purpose to what they are doing. I do not know but looking at it from another angle always helps.
Click to expand...
Mike, Japan routinely has used unfair import restrictions to stifle foreign competition by driving up the price of foreign goods by means other than tariffs for at least 50 years. Sometime read up on how they captured the aluminum baseball bat market.

Nobody would mistake one of those pens for a bullet any more than they would a PSI bolt action for a rifle.
 
Brooks803 said:
watch_art said:
A sharpened #2 pencil is pretty dangerous, too.
Click to expand...

Yup! Got stabbed in the back with one back in middle school. Kid that did it didn't my response to his little prank either :beat-up:
Click to expand...
I had a funny scar in my left elbow for years where I got stabbed with one of them....don't remember how it happened though. Also got stuck in the ear with a lollypop stick once (by a nephew 9 years younger than I am when he was about 6) hurt like the dickens too. (I did not 'kill' the little bugger either he is alive and hiding in North Carolina)
 
Well...then, I guess it's a good thing I don't do bullet pens.:biggrin: Maybe I should order a few sets and test the waters...:wink: I've never been too interested.

Honestly, I'm really not surprised. Customs and immigration are VERY thorough in Japan and I have first hand experience with having to go through all the red tape of getting products certified for sale here. It literally took years.
With the bullet and bullet replica parts they just don't have a classification for them and given Japan's strict policy on firearms sprinkled with a little paranoia....it may be some time before the government gives them the OK.
And that said...

Believe me...there are far more pressing things to be ranting about in Japan right now than some pens that look like bullets.
 
chriselle said:
Well...then, I guess it's a good thing I don't do bullet pens.:biggrin: Maybe I should order a few sets and test the waters...:wink: I've never been too interested.

Honestly, I'm really not surprised. Customs and immigration are VERY thorough in Japan and I have first hand experience with having to go through all the red tape of getting products certified for sale here. It literally took years.
With the bullet and bullet replica parts they just don't have a classification for them and given Japan's strict policy on firearms sprinkled with a little paranoia....it may be some time before the government gives them the OK.
And that said...

Believe me...there are far more pressing things to be ranting about in Japan right now than some pens that look like bullets.
Click to expand...
Yep, our hearts go out to them re their terrible sunami experience. But, they have been less than good people as trading partners for years and years.
 
I really enjoyed my year in Japan, but they are very strict on their laws and traditions, and if an officer makes a call on something more times than not it will stand.
 
I heard you the first time Smitty. Not that I disagree with you.

Smitty37 said:
chriselle said:
Well...then, I guess it's a good thing I don't do bullet pens.:biggrin: Maybe I should order a few sets and test the waters...:wink: I've never been too interested.

Honestly, I'm really not surprised. Customs and immigration are VERY thorough in Japan and I have first hand experience with having to go through all the red tape of getting products certified for sale here. It literally took years.
With the bullet and bullet replica parts they just don't have a classification for them and given Japan's strict policy on firearms sprinkled with a little paranoia....it may be some time before the government gives them the OK.
And that said...

Believe me...there are far more pressing things to be ranting about in Japan right now than some pens that look like bullets.
Click to expand...
Yep, our hearts go out to them re their terrible sunami experience. But, they have been less than good people as trading partners for years and years.
Click to expand...
 
What gets me is that you can go to some "model" shops that specialize in model guns. Those things don't look like any water pistols, they look like the real things!

Then again anyone with a bankroll of money can go to Seki City and purchase a "real" sword for upwards of $15,000 to $20,000 for starters.

The real issue for the holdup in customs is the person who happens to be in charge, as much as anything else.
 
chriselle said:
I guess this is a fitting case for.. the pen being mightier than the sword. :cool:
Click to expand...

Have you seen the Fedex commercial where the Ninja is facing another man who appears to be of Japanese decent also... the Ninja is swinging his sword and doing all the flashing things they do with swords... the other gentlemen has a pen and signs for a box from the Fedex man... opens the box, pulls out a pistol and shoots the Ninja.... the Fedex guy holds out his hand for the pen.... which was mighter... the sword or the pen??:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
 
Smitty37 said:
crabcreekind said:
OK the question the person said was "how could anyone kill someone with a pen?"
I guess he must have not seen batman.
Click to expand...
I think 007 also had a pen once (at least once) that was a pretty formidable weapon as well. But, it didn't look like a cartridge.
Click to expand...

It had an explosive charge in it and you click it 3 times to activate it and 2 times to deactivate it. Golden eye was the movie I believe.
 
qballizhere said:
Smitty37 said:
crabcreekind said:
OK the question the person said was "how could anyone kill someone with a pen?"
I guess he must have not seen batman.
Click to expand...
I think 007 also had a pen once (at least once) that was a pretty formidable weapon as well. But, it didn't look like a cartridge.
Click to expand...

It had an explosive charge in it and you click it 3 times to activate it and 2 times to deactivate it. Golden eye was the movie I believe.
Click to expand...

I'll take your word for it --- there were so many 007 movies and 'special' weapons that I can never get it straight which weapon goes with which movie.
 
Did anyone notice that the pens being held up were made by weapon companies? This may have had something to do with things.

As far as flying with a bullet pen, I do it all the time. I have seen a man held up at customs for having a necklace that was made from a bullet that held his brothers ashes. I have been wearing a hogstooth (a Marine thing) for years and have never been questioned about it.
 
James Bond also had a fountain pen in the movie Octopussy which contained a highly concentrated nitric and hydrochloric acid mixture that Q attested dissolved all metals. Must have been a ceramic nib under that 18k gold! :smile: He used it to escape from Kamell Khan's 'guest quarters'.

(It also had an earpiece tucked into the other end which was connected to a remote microphone hidden in a copy of a Fabarge egg) - pretty nifty!

As well, in the Man with the Golden Gun, Scaramanga used a pen as the barrel of his namesake weapon.

Also, it's been years since I watched it, but I think that Never Say Never Again also had a pen weapon - or it might have been a cigarette? ? I'm thinking it was a pen with an explosive charge...I'll have to watch it again! :smile:
 
You remember a lot more about those movies than I do....of course I'm not a huge James Bond fan but I've probably seen all of the movies except perhaps the last couple.
 
Transformers 3 had an autobot named Q who had some explosive inventions to help the humans fight the deceptocons hand to hand. That was pretty cool.
I have to say for Bond though, Sean Connery is IT. None of the others, especially not Pierce Brosnan (too snotty in my opinion), did the character justice (in my opinion). Although I have to say the new guy, Daniel Craig does a pretty good job of it.
 
watch_art said:
Transformers 3 had an autobot named Q who had some explosive inventions to help the humans fight the deceptocons hand to hand. That was pretty cool.
I have to say for Bond though, Sean Connery is IT. None of the others, especially not Pierce Brosnan (too snotty in my opinion), did the character justice (in my opinion). Although I have to say the new guy, Daniel Craig does a pretty good job of it.
Click to expand...
--- makes me smile. Not too long ago I saw 3 James Bond movies in about 3 days with 3 different actors in the lead role.....I liked Sean Connery also, but I like him better in a lot of his other roles.
 
I liked Connery a lot in the role, but I think Roger Moore was more suave...he's my favourite. Daniel Craig's a good choice to revitalize the franchise after Remington Steele just about destroyed it...

I liked Craig's first movie - gritty and a throwback to the old Bond movies...the second one was way too Brosnan-esque in action for my taste, so I'm worried for Skyfall.
 
Roger Moore was good - but something about him struck me as too goofy. Maybe I should rewatch some of the old Bond movies. And I agree, the last Bond was over the top. It didn't seem like Bond at all. Just a big dumb action flick. I hope Skyfall will be better.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom