US citizen jailed in India for possession of 22lr ammo in airport

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cmb3366

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One of my good personal friends and shooting buddies was arrested at an airport in India with 8 22lr shells in his bag. In a short sighted move he used a range bag to pack for an overseas service call. At this point Indian officials have denied bail and he's facing a mandatory 3 years on what they're trying to paint as an attempt to smuggle ammo out of the country.

You can read an Indian news account at the following link.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiat...baneswar-airport-biju-patnaik-airport-bullets

If you feel so inclined as to send a word to your congress critters on behalf of a fellow shooter, it would be greatly appreciated by his friends and family.
 
Holy smokes, now there is a precautionary tale. I hope he can get it reduced to paying a fine, or get off with a warning.

The article linked is an interesting read. The Indian police find his story hard to believe (that he had accidentally brought the rounds from the US) and that he must have procured the ammo in India.

Yeah, that's why someone would go to India, to smuggle out eight (8) rounds of 22 lr... Wow.

Goes to show though how something seemingly innocuous can have dire consequences.
 
Seems he should have done a better job cleaning out his bag. Sorry for your friend, but if he had been caught here with the way TSA acts, he might not have been that much better off anyway.

Moral of the story, if you use your range bags for air travel, you are taking a huge risk - even with no ammo, the "sniffers" might detect gun powder residue.
 
Some time back I was taken out of line by the sniffers. The reason being that I packed my bag the night before after having fertilised the lawn and transferring residue from my hands to the bag.
 
"How he hoodwinked cops at Houston, Amsterdam and New Delhi remains a mystery." Oh boy. Just using the word "hoodwinked" sounds as if he's guilty. I bet he won't make that mistake again.

Here is a link to a similar case of a A Mississauga grandmother visiting family in India who has been charged with arms smuggling after authorities say they found live ammunition in her luggage.

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/07/22/mississauga_grandmother_arrested_for_arms_smuggling_in_india.html
 
Good luck to your friend.
I would not expect much help from the US Feds. He does need a good local criminal lawyer.

We have a relative who was in a much worse situation in the region, and the US government was virtually *0* help. Ironically he was helping the USG when it hit the fan.

Get a good local lawyer, congress and the administration is a little preoccupied, and the embassy staffs are generally gone during a shutdown, excepting the Marine guard, Regional Security Office, SIGINT and CIA personnel. Don't expect they are there to help unless your last name is Obama.
 
My range bag is just a backpack I also use for other things, I'm always worried I'll forget to thoroughly check it after a range trip because .22 ammo very often gets loose from the bulk box and hides in a seam at the bottom.

I haven't flown in years though (girlfriend is terrified of flying) but if I do again I won't be bringing that bag!
 
My range bags are just that range bags. They get used for nothing else. One for clay target shooting, one for pistols and rifles. I have other equipment for traveling........
 
I wish your friend the best of luck. Eight rounds does not an ammo dealer make. Nevertheless, there are some mistakes you just can't afford to make and this is probably one of them.
 
Man that sucks bad. Yeah this administration is really supportive of the shooting community. Contact the government, they'll help your friend out...
 
People have received jail sentences for forgetting they had empty .22 shell casings in their car when crossing into Mexico. We are talking about EMPTY shell casing not loaded ammo.
In Mexico only the cartels and corrupt police are allowed to carry and own guns. That seems to be not working very well. Many of our the senators and congress people from Calif. and other states want that for us.
 
I wish all the best for your friend and hope he can get them to realize it was an honest mistake. Like others have said he needs a good local lawyer.
 
Mexican citizens are definitely allowed to own firearms. US citizens need a permit to possess firearms in Mexico for hunting with a guide or formal competition.
 
"People have received jail sentences for forgetting they had empty .22 shell casings in their car when crossing into Mexico. We are talking about EMPTY shell casing not loaded ammo."

I read somewhere that it is a crime for people to have empty fired brass in their vehicle in Washington DC.
 
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Well that sucks. I guess after Mumbai their government is going ape over bullets and wants to prove to the world how tough they are.
 
In our eyes, it was a unintentional mistake.

In Indian government eyes, it is a crime with strict punishment.

Their land, their laws. Who are we to make a judgment on their laws?

Sorry to hear your friend is caught in this predicament, but no one to blame but himself.
 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I'm gettin' misty from your compassion.

To the OP. I hope they realize it's all a misunderstanding and your friend gets out with no problems. Accidents happen.
 
Dang I know .22 LR is expensive, but importing it from India? ;)

Agreed, he needs a VERY WELL CONNECTED local lawyer.
 
I feel for your buddy. The first time I went to India I thought I was going to jail...over double A batteries. No kidding. It was not long after the whole 9/11 thing, and for some reason whatever Indian agency that was in charge of airline security decided that loose batteries were a Bad Thing. To me they just kept my Ipod going for an extra 8 hours, but airport security was not on board with that.

People stateside that have never been anywhere else like to complain about lack of freedom and what-not, but have no clue what it's like elsewhere. Getting off a plane at a regional airport and being met at the bottom of the steps by grumpy looking soldier types with machine guns made for a bit of a nervous moment, especially when you don't know why they are there.

Hopefully saner heads will prevail and your buddy will end up with nothing more than some inconvenience, and an interesting story to tell his friends later down the road. For my part, I was glad to put that place in my rear view and get back to some place I felt moderately safe.
 
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