Can I carry pellets for my airgun with me on a South African Airways flight?
I am planning to travel to Zimbabwe from Australia on South African Airways.
Can I carry a vintage Hawke scope (telescope) and pellets for a pellet gun?
Best Answer
SAA regulations regarding ammunition are:
A maximum of 5kg securely boxed ammunition per passenger will be permitted for carriage either as a separate piece of baggage or within checked baggage in the hold of the aircraft. Screening authorities may however delay baggage containing ammunition, if such ammunition was not declared at check-in and is therefore not marked with an appropriate tag indicating that such ammunition was already security inspected.
Arrival
Upon arrival passengers are required to proceed to the allocated firearm desk to collect firearms.
Checked baggage containing ammunition may be collected at the normal airport baggage carousel.
Ammunition handed in separately may be collected at the firearm desk.
These are clearly not intended to cover non-explosive airgun pellets but since dictionary.com for example defines ammunition as:
the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon, as bombs or rockets, and especially shot, shrapnel, bullets, or shells fired by guns.
it would probably be a good idea for you to liaise with a SAA official to confirm (in writing) that what you propose is allowed, in so far as it does not meet the above requirements, so that you have something to counter anyone who might challenge you.
There is no issue with a Hawke sight.
I'm curious about the gun itself. I wonder why carry the ammunition rather than buy it at your destination, if the pellets are not matched to the gun.
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What are two items that are prohibited on board a flight?
The following items are completely banned from aircraft, and should not be brought to the airport:- Explosive and incendiary materials.
- Flammable items.
- Gasses and pressure containers.
- Matches.
- Oxidizers and organic peroxides.
- Poisons.
- Infectious materials.
- Corrosives.
Does an airgun need a license in South Africa?
Any airgun that exceeds both the 5.6mm calibre and muzzle energy of 8 joules / 6 foot pounds is classified as a firearm in South Africa and in terms of the FCA a firearms licence is required to own and operate such. Hereinafter referred to as a \u201cLCA \u2013 Large Calibre Airgun\u201d class airgun.Can you put weapons in a checked bag?
You may transport unloaded firearms in a locked hard-sided container as checked baggage only. Declare the firearm and/or ammunition to the airline when checking your bag at the ticket counter. The container must completely secure the firearm from being accessed. Locked cases that can be easily opened are not permitted.10 FALSE Facts about AIRGÚNS \u0026 PELLETS You NEED to know!
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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