§447.52. Import restrictions applicable to certain countries.

It is the policy of the United States to deny licenses and other approvals with respect to defense articles and defense services originating in certain countries or areas. This policy applies to Afghanistan, Belarus (one of the states composing the former Soviet Union), Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mongolia, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, and Vietnam. This policy applies to countries or areas with respect to which the United States maintains an arms embargo (e.g., Burma, China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Liberia, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, and UNITA (Angola)). It also applies when an import would not be in furtherance of world peace and the security and foreign policy of the United States.

Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this section, the appropriate ATF officer shall deny applications to import into the United States the following firearms and ammunition:

The provisions of paragraph (b) of this section shall not affect the fulfillment of contracts with respect to firearms or ammunition entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption in the United States on or before February 9, 1996.

A defense article authorized for importation under this part may not be shipped on a vessel, aircraft or other means or conveyance which is owned or operated by, or leased to or from, any of the countries or areas covered by paragraph (a) of this section.

Applications for permits to import articles that were manufactured in, or have been in, a country or area proscribed under this section may be approved where the articles are covered by Category I(a) of the Import List (other than those subject to the provisions of 27 CFR Part 479), are importable as curios or relics under the provisions of 27 CFR 478.118, and meet the following criteria:

Applicants desiring to import articles claimed to meet the criteria specified in paragraph (e) of this section shall explain, and certify to, how the firearms meet the criteria. The certification statement will be prepared in letter form, executed under the penalties of perjury, and should be submitted with the application for an import permit. The certification statement must be accompanied by documentary information on the country or area of original manufacture and on the country or area of storage for the five year period immediately prior to importation. Such information may, for example, include a verifiable statement in the English language of a government official or any other person having knowledge of the date and place of manufacture and/or the place of storage; a warehouse receipt or other document which provides the required history of storage; and any other document that the applicant believes substantiates the place and date of manufacture and the place of storage. The appropriate ATF officer, however, reserves the right to determine whether documentation is acceptable. Applicants shall, when required by the appropriate ATF officer, furnish additional documentation as may be necessary to determine whether an import permit application should be approved.