123.17—Exports of firearms and ammunition.

(a) Except as provided in § 126.1 of this subchapter, Port Directors of U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall permit the export without a license of components and parts for Category I(a) firearms, except barrels, cylinders, receivers (frames) or complete breech mechanisms when the total value does not exceed $100 wholesale in any transaction.
(b) Port Directors of U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall permit the export without a license of nonautomatic firearms covered by Category I(a) of § 121.1 of this subchapter if they were manufactured in or before 1898, or are replicas of such firearms.
(c) Port Directors of U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall permit U.S. persons to export temporarily from the United States without a license not more than three nonautomatic firearms in Category I(a) of § 121.1 of this subchapter and not more than 1,000 cartridges therefor, provided that:
(1) A declaration by the U.S. person and an inspection by a customs officer is made;
(2) The firearms and accompanying ammunition must be with the U.S. person's baggage or effects, whether accompanied or unaccompanied (but not mailed); and
(3) They must be for that person's exclusive use and not for reexport or other transfer of ownership. The foregoing exemption is not applicable to a crew-member of a vessel or aircraft unless the crew-member declares the firearms to a Customs officer upon each departure from the United States, and declares that it is his or her intention to return the article(s) on each return to the United States. It is also not applicable to the personnel referred to in § 123.18.
(d) Port Directors of U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall permit a foreign person to export without a license such firearms in Category I(a) of § 121.1 of this subchapter and ammunition therefor as the foreign person brought into the United States under the provisions of 27 CFR 478.115(d). (The latter provision specifically excludes from the definition of importation the bringing into the United States of firearms and ammunition by certain foreign persons for specified purposes.)
(e) Port Directors of U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall permit U.S. persons to export without a license ammunition for nonautomatic firearms referred to in paragraph (a) of this section if the quantity does not exceed 1,000 cartridges (or rounds) in any shipment. The ammunition must also be for personal use and not for resale or other transfer of ownership. The foregoing exemption is also not applicable to the personnel referred to in § 123.18.
(f) Except as provided in § 126.1 of this subchapter, Port Directors of U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall permit U.S. persons to export temporarily from the United States without a license one set of body armor covered by Category X(a)(1) of this subchapter provided that:
(1) A declaration by the U.S. person and an inspection by a customs officer is made;
(2) The body armor is with the U.S. person's baggage or effects, whether accompanied or unaccompanied (but not mailed);
(3) The body armor is for that person's exclusive use and not for re-export or other transfer of ownership; and
(4) If the body armor is lost or otherwise not returned to the United States, a detailed report must be submitted to the Office of Defense Trade Controls Compliance in § 127.12(c)(2) of this subchapter entitled “Voluntary disclosures.”
(g) The license exemption set forth in paragraph (f) of this section is also available for the temporary export of body armor for personal use to Afghanistan and to Iraq provided that:
(1) The conditions in paragraphs (f)(1)-(f)(3) of this section are met;
(2) For temporary exports to Iraq the U.S. person utilizing the license exemption is either a person affiliated with the U.S. Government traveling on official business or is a person not affiliated with the U.S. Government but traveling to Iraq under a direct authorization by the Government of Iraq and engaging in humanitarian activities for, on behalf of, or at the request of the Government of Iraq.

Code of Federal Regulations

[58 FR 39299, July 22, 1993, as amended at 64 FR 17534, Apr. 12, 1999; 70 FR 50962, Aug. 29, 2005; 71 FR 20541, Apr. 21, 2006; 74 FR 39213, Aug. 6, 2009]