balisongs and customs

blade_420

blade_420

Joined
Jan 15, 2001
Messages
2,353
I have a bid on an auction for a 3 1/2" weehawk stainless Benchmade Balisong, But I'm in Colorado, and the knife is in Germany.
What would be the best was to (sneak) this past US customs?
Normally, I don't do much contraband, but the laws regarding balisongs are stupid.

Do they X-ray all packages?

If I had them hide it inside a small radio?

What do you think...Please help...I need this knife very badly!!!
Thank's!!
Blade420
 
Well, that doesn't help much.....

Yeah, I suppose this post could 'tip off' customs, and they'll get a big sting together, and put me and my vile kind behind bars for YEARS.

But I know that someone can still help me.
How do they get FHM's into the country?
or INOX Itialans?

I can't believe that they are all assembled here from parts...
And for goodness sake, it's an American made knife, The crime would be to (gasp) disasemble the knife to get it into USA.

Someone HAS to have done this before...
 
>>Doing illegal stuff is stupid, what might be even more stupid is disussing illegal activities on a public internet bulletin board...

Did I see attorney at law somewhere after your name? It's highly questionable that to bring balisong knives into this country is a illegal activity. In fact, the federal court system has ruled (Taylor v US Customs) that there is nothing illegal about importing the balisong knife. It's just that us customs wants to take the law into their own hands and ignore the ruling of the federal court system.

What they are doing is unconstitutional, because in order to pass a law, there has to be public debate. This country was founded on law being of the people, by the people and for the people. What our founding father's determined to be offensive was when a tyrant in the position of power would dictate to the people what they would, should or could do or not do. Without first having a public debate by the representives of the people which we call the senate and congress. The only reason why customs gets away with their illegal activity, is because no one wants to take them to court over it. Thanks, JohnR7 www.BalisongKnife.com
 
>>put me and my vile kind behind bars for YEARS.

It's not a criminal offense to import balisongs. They just confiscate them, and then it's up to you if your going to appeal it or do nothing about it. Most people forfit them by taking no action.

>>Do they X-ray all packages?

Everything has to be x-rayed before they can put it on an airplane, and sometimes they have the dogs sniff them.

I have been told again and again, by a lot of different people, that customs gets one in every five illegal items to enter the country. This seems to be across the board, so they get one in five shipments of illegal drugs. One in five illegal immigrants are caught. One in five of every balisong shipment is confiscated.

The reason they do not bring in large shipments is that it's just to much of a cost of doing business to lose 20% of your shipments to US Customs. The best thing to do, is to avoid priority mail, that gets checked the most. Second wrap it up in a lot of material, like hankerchiefs, so it looks like a bulky package of clothing or something like that. A small package is a dead give away that it's going to be a knife. But once we got a shipment that actually said "Balisong Knife" on the paper work, and no one messed with it.

Thanks, JohnR7 www.BalisongKnife.com
 
I have mailed several knives and "things" to europe and never had a problem as long as it went by air. NO they were not drugs. I have a friend who is a weapon collector.
 
Customs works on a sort of random basis. They try deliberately not to have a pattern. So, I can't give you a sure-fire technique for evading them. That's the reason for their methods.

Several dealers have told me that they loose about 20% of imported balisongs to US Customs. So, you run about a 20% chance of loosing the balisongs.

One important thing to do is ask the shipper not to indicate that this is something you bought, not to include an invoice or a note saying "Thank you for buying my balisong." You see, if you ask someone outside of the US to send you something illegal, then you are illegally importing that item. But, if a friend of yours in Germany sends you a gift that you did not ask for, well, you can't really be responsible for that. Yes, they could investigate and find the auction record and figure the whole thing out, but unless you're facing confirmation to be attorney general or something, they're not gonna make that effort.

The fact is that Customs has bigger concerns than you importing one balisong. They like to harass dealers and other folks who are importing case-loads of questionable stuff. And, they're very concerned about illegal drugs, serious weapons (terrorist-type stuff), endangered species, agricultural materials, etc.

The fact is that I have never lost a balisong to customs and I've never talked to an INDIVIDUAL (not dealer) who has.



------------------
Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by JohnR7:
Did I see attorney at law somewhere after your name? </font>
Click to expand...
Nope, do i have to be that to state that doing something illegal is stupid? ok, i maybe wrong about this being illegal, but i don't think that Mr. Turber would be very happy if people used this board to discuss things that are illegal.

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2"> What they are doing is unconstitutional, because in order to pass a law, there has to be public debate. This country was founded on law being of the people, by the people and for the people </font>
Click to expand...
I agree, and yet some of the military look-alike semi-auto's are banned from manufacture, so i don't think that it's an argument that's very strong.

Just my 0.2 cents even though i'm NOT schooled in ANY legalities.




------------------
Be well!/Jonas aka 2Sharp

"May all your detonations be expected"

The coolest bar in the world: http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Camp/8373/index.html
My knives!
 
Well I'm not a lawyer but I'd have to say if the balisong didn't fold it wouldn't be a balisong now would it. It would be a plain old knife just like all the rest. Hint hint.
If you worried about having it sent from Germany, maybe you shouldn't bid on it. I would not try to hide it in a radio as that has to be the best way to have it confiscated. Let's see here's a radio that doen't play I wonder why not? Oh there is a illegal butterfly knife in it. Not good.
 
I do not think that this is the proper place to specifically ask for instructions on "HOW TO" illegal activity.

------------------
"Catch you on the flip side"!
 
Sabo is right.
I'll take back my original question, and all you can take back your answers.

Thank's anyway...
Blade420
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by loki67:
Let's see here's a radio that doen't play I wonder why not? Oh there is a illegal butterfly knife in it. Not good.</font>
Click to expand...

If you just hide it in the battery compartment then of course it will not play. But if you open the radio up, you can put it among all the components inside, there's often a lot of space in there!

(Not that I'd dream of putting anything illegal there, but I used to hide stuff from my sneaky little brother in my radio etc when I was a kid)

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Balisong Sweden - http://hem.passagen.se/nebol/balisong

[This message has been edited by Gigante (edited 01-23-2001).]
 
If it were a fixed blade knife there would most likely be no problems, so if you can make it a fixed blade you'll probably be okay. I don't suggest that you try to hide it anywhere because then it looks like you were trying to sneak something in. Also, if the knife if folded would they be able to tell it was a knife by x-raying it?
 
I don't see how this discussion is any different than someone in California ->DISCUSSING<- how to get a full sized bali sent to them...

If you really want to have a field day on me, howzabout this...

How many people can you kill with one knife?

Just fanning the fires,
Blade420
 
Aren't balisongs illeagal in Colorado as well as California. I believe I remember Sal saying they were illeagal there.
My question is, why not pick one up from the U.S. in the first place. I know they exist, as tons of people have them. Hell, I'm on my 3rd, and I know a dealer with one in stock. All of mine were picked up in the U.S., one from Indiana, 2 from Alabama. I know a dealer in Indiana that had 6-8 in stock, has always had them in stock, and all his were numbered. If you really want one, give me a hollar and I can hook you up with their info, but you're gonna pay retail or better from them as they are authorized dealers.
 
It's not like I don't have any balisongs,
In fact I have 2 first prod. BM42's, A BM 45, a PC 45 custom, a PC 10, several fhm's, a jaguar, a rostfrei, and a 15"(closed) fhm.
It's just that the knife is actually CHEAPER than I could find anywhere else, unledd anyone wants to give away their BM35 for $75.00 (DM 150.00)

(I think that I have all the models right)
P.S.; what is the difference between a PC10 and a BM35? except the maker?
 
smile.gif
P.S.; what is the difference between a PC10 and a BM35? except the maker?
smile.gif
The PC10 has exposed pins and the holes are not counter-sunk, i.e., the 'custom finish' and a utility style blade, plus the blades on the PC knives were hand ground. The BM35 has the custom finish and a WeeHawk style blade. PC10-
View
BM35 on top...
View


[This message has been edited by Dawkind (edited 01-23-2001).]
 
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