Don't bring ammunition to Turks & Caicos

[mousefan73]

I think 12 years is harsh. I'm a little surprised as it's a British colony that the laws are that strict.

Well google tells me the max sentence for guns or ammo in the UK is 10 years.. so they are on the high end too.. Is this 12 years the max right?

 

[MillauFr]

I’m sure we have some arms dealing mass murderers hanging around in our prison system that we can use for a trade. That’s what we do.

Maybe we could send them Figment as a trade?

 

[GoingSince1990]

This will mainly seem harsh to people from the US. Someone from a country like the UK, where private ownership of handguns is banned, would barely turn a hair at this story.

 

[cabanafrau]

Like when Brittany Griner went to jail in Russia. Yes, I'm sure they treated her worse because she was a famous American, but the fact is she still brought weed into a country that prohibits that. She made it easy for them to put her in jail. Had she not had the weed, she'd probably have been fine.

I’m sure we have some arms dealing mass murderers hanging around in our prison system that we can use for a trade. That’s what we do.

 

[sam_gordon]

Well google tells me the max sentence for guns or ammo in the UK is 10 years.. so they are on the high end too.. Is this 12 years the max right?

I think 12 years is what the law says. No minimum or max, just "12 years".

 

[Disneefun]

I think 12 years is what the law says. No minimum or max, just "12 years".

The State Department statement I posted earlier says the law is, "minimum custodial sentence of twelve (12) years." So it could end up being more.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

Of all the travel anxieties I have, this specific situation is happily not something I will ever need to worry about!

We do have medications in our family which some countries don't allow ... and I always make sure what we are bringing in is legal in the country we are visiting. If there is any doubt at all, we wouldn't bring it. (has only affected one of our anxiety meds, so there is usually an alternate that will work and is legal).

 

[Karin1984]

From the newsarticle in the opening post:

State Department: "In a foreign country, U.S. citizens are subject to that country's laws, even if they differ from those in the United States."

I've got the feeling this message is aimed at the tourists who go to India and then complain Indian food is spicy... Or those who are surprised that people in Spain mainly speak Spanish.

 

[cvjw]

Why would a person be packing ammo anyways? there is only one reason to be packing ammo and maybe this is why this country had those laws.

He wasn’t packing ammo. He had used the same backpack for a hunting trip. He then forgot the ammo was in there and it was caught by security when he was leaving Turks and Caicos. I am sure that if he knew it was in there, he would have gotten rid of it to avoid what has happened to him and his family.

 

[Gracedis1]

This is why I don't like mandatory minimum sentences. He obviously neglected to check his luggage and it was not intentional. 12 years is a long time for that. How did the ammo get through airport security in the US?

 

[Christine]

Unpopular opinion, but I hope the U.S. works to get him out. I am pretty much anti-gun and am apalled with the U.S. and our gun culture. He should have known better, he should have been more responsible, he should have done a lot of things, but it really was a mistake. He didn't check his backpack well and he had been on a hunting trip. I know, so what. But we've gone to greater lengths to pull out other citizens and I think we should try something and give T&C something in return.

Referring back to Brittany Griner--her situation was not a mistake and rather arrogant but we went to great lengths to get her home.

 

[Imzadi]

As for why he didn't toss it in the ocean, he's probably not that bright.

I saw an interview with him last night on News Nation. He kept pausing every several words and barely strung one whole sentence together. (I kept motioning to the TV, "Come on, speed it up. Put it together. Spit it out!" ) He did finally say he was so emotionally overwhelmed by it all that he couldn't talk (during the whole 5 minute interview.) But, I also kind of wondered if the spaces in his talking weren't also normal spaces in his thinking, and that's why he couldn't string whole sentences together.

He described the situation:
"His wife had filled some luggage that was getting heavy. . .
He reached for a duffle bag that he uses a lot. . .
He and his wife just started throwing stuff into the duffle. . .
Later, when they showed him the baggie of ammo, he did recognize it. . .
But, he never remembers EVER having put it in the duffle. . ."

His brain didn't seem to work like:
"He reached for a duffle bag that he uses a lot. . . for hunting. . . so he should check to see if he left anything in it. . . let alone hunting related. . .

He said he was let out on bail. He is not to leave the islan and must do check ins twice a week. He is staying in a B&B on the island. His parent's flew down to be with him and is paying for the B&B. Two different people who live on the island, whom he doesn't even know, put up the collateral for his bail. One man put up his car, and the other put up his whole restaurant. He generously, publicly thanked them and said what great people are down there. He has to do daily check ins with the restaurant owner.

Someone did set up a Go Fund Me account for him here in the states. Last night it was up to $160,000+ for him. But he hasn't been able to look at it. His brain won't go there to think it's real. (His words not mine.)

 

[sam_gordon]

This is why I don't like mandatory minimum sentences. He obviously neglected to check his luggage and it was not intentional. 12 years is a long time for that. How did the ammo get through airport security in the US?

Ammunition is allowed in checked bags in the US. I assume the duffle was checked (as opposed to carry on).

 

[SpaceMan5]

Sometimes you just gotta shake your head.

Yep!

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I saw something about this on the news, maybe this morning or last night. It is very sad for sure. I hate it for him. The punishment seems very harsh. I hope they give him some sort of leniency.

That said... it is their country and their rules.

 

[Allison]

Almost up there with Carnival having to make it a written policy that you can't bring portable washing machines on board. I had never heard of portable washing machines, nor would I ever think to bring one on a cruise.

https://www.amazon.com/SUPER-DEAL-P...lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=AG4SP3NVGD1DE

That's a weird comparison. It's not the same thing at all.

 

[tvguy]

That's a weird comparison. It's not the same thing at all.

Why would you bring either?

 

[Allison]

Why would you bring either?

You would have to ask people who have done it, just like you could ask the same question about a 1000 other things people have done. It doesn't make them comparable.

 

[kdonnel]

Ammunition is allowed in checked bags in the US. I assume the duffle was checked (as opposed to carry on).

The wording on the TSA site is not totally clear because it always assume if you are traveling with ammunition you are also traveling with a firewarm but I believe just ammunition by itself must be declared to the airline. It should also be in its original packaging or in a container designed to prevent it from moving around or coming in contact with other items.

Then that separate bag is taken by the airline and tagged for special handling.

I have read stories that some people always put a firewarm in each checked bag as an insurance against their bag being lost or items being stolen from the bag.

 

[sam_gordon]

The wording on the TSA site is not totally clear because it always assume if you are traveling with ammunition you are also traveling with a firewarm but I believe just ammunition by itself must be declared to the airline. It should also be in its original packaging or in a container designed to prevent it from moving around or coming in contact with other items.

Then that separate bag is taken by the airline and tagged for special handling.

I have read stories that some people always put a firewarm in each checked bag as an insurance against their bag being lost or items being stolen from the bag.

From the TSA website (highlighting theirs)...

No word about "original packaging" or "container designed to prevent it from moving around". Unless "specifically designed to carry ammunition" means that.