Why are people flying around with stray ammo in their luggage? How stupid do you have to be? The first person? yeah ok…mistake. It was well reported. Check your suitcase out folks.
Is T & C on a mission to make arrests? Why? Generating revenue?
3.Is this vacation destination all that great? Why don’t people avoid it?
Why doesn’t the State department get involved and vehemently warn people?
What the hell would it cost a person to have to go to court to fight this?
Seems like the previous ones got home, no jail time.
The government of Turks and Caicos has imposed strict limits on firearms, including ammo. That law applies to everyone, whether T&C citizens or tourists.
FYI: I’ve listened to an interview with the first two guys arrested.
Man, I’ve found lots of stray shit in luggage. Ever “know” you have a spare charger or whatever in your back, check every pocket six times, and then find it tucked away in one you already checked on the next trip. I don’t keep shooting stuff and my travel luggage together, but it might be appropriate if you travel a lot for hunting, as several of the arrested did.
It appears so.
There’s lots of Caribbean islands, there are fewer that are the right combo of: appropriately picturesque and beachy, English-speaking, and close to the eastern US. I can’t say why you might chose that particular British territory.
These arrests all happened in quick succession, it’s a “new” thing. They issue generic travel warnings, but T&C didn’t do this in the past.
Apparently, the sentence was reduced for the Oklahoma guy to 9 months suspended sentence and $2000. Likely additional costs for them/families staying in the country for court dates etc.
Them probably.
Correct, no weapons. The other oddity is that T&C does not check baggage upon arrival. They were baggage checked and detained upon leaving after their vacation. It does seem like a rather “proving a point” situation. And apparently a lot of the locals were unaware that the government was going to do this.
Beck, a link to whatever the hell news you’re talking about would have been a welcome addition to your OP.
As to your actual topic …
It could be worse.
In the (IIRC) Dominican Republic, camouflage clothing is considered a weapon of war and will be confiscated if found in your luggage and you’ll be arrested. Or sent home on the next flight out. So much for that vacation.
Considering the number of Americans who consider camo to be normal everyday casual wear, a LOT of people get jacked up every single day. It’s fun to watch.
Nit: IIRC it’s not technically in the Caribbean. But it is Caribbean-adjacent.
Last I went it was quite nice. It was heavily travelled by Canadians (in the 70-80s there was talk about it joining Canada) and Canadians are less likely to carrying ammo.
Some countries enforce their laws strictly. Evidently Turks and Caicos is one such. Scaring off tourists doesn’t seem to be the way to go for a country with tourism as a main source of income.
This Wikipedia article suggests, yes, it is. As to why people don’t avoid it; it seems to be rather popular place with not that much crime, and, as a British Overseas Territory, a stable government.
CHECK YOUR BAGS! Do not bring ammunition or firearms to the Turks and Caicos Islands
We urge all travelers going to the Turks and Caicos Islands to carefully check their luggage for stray ammunition or forgotten weapons before departing from the United States. Read the “Local Laws” section and our alert titled “Check Your bags!” below for more information.
They had previously (22 September 2023) linked to an alert on the US Embassy to Bahamas site about this very issue regarding Turks and Caicos Islands.
There are other alerts and advisories on the site about crime, showing Turks and Caicos Islands as Level 2: Increased Caution.
Contrary to what some people believe, it is not our government’s responsibility to get them out of legal trouble in other countries.
The US is pretty much the only place in the planet where being caught at the airport with some random bullets would be a trivial thing. Anywhere else (like literally almost any other country on the planet) that would be like saying “it’s only a few grams of heroin, what’s the big deal? Are they just on a mission to make arrests and generate revenue?”
My main reason for asking that, if they don’t want it(ammo, remember? Not weapons) in country why are they checking on the way out?
Seems a bit odd if safety is an issue.
Think about that, if it was heroin.
I think a sovereign country has the right to not have anything they choose to come in. Be it pink socks, Teddy bears or ammo to drugs. Their right.
Why did this just start?
Or is it just now being reported on?
In fact I just saw mentioned that it’s an UK overseas territory. In which case I’d say these people were treated very leniently and not had the book thrown at them in the slightest. The UK has extremely strict gun laws not just compared to the US (i’d assume that applies to their overseas territories too)
It always baffles me what people bring in and out of countries.
I was in the airport on my way home from Aruba last month. The woman in front of me at a customs inspection station was trying to take $500 dollars worth of bacon home from Aruba. I heard the back and forth exchange while waiting in line.
Bacon?
I just couldn’t imagine what that was all about.
She did not get to take it with her. Said customs agent swooped it up with a huge roll of paper towels and sent her on her way.
Possibly a matter of when they routinely screen bags at their airport? It’s been years since I traveled outside of the U.S. – do other countries do baggage screening on people who are arriving?
Its about ammunition. In pretty much any other country outside the US, that would be like saying “I didn’t have heroin in my suitcase, I had unprocessed opium, what’s the big deal?”
The idea that it would be a “oh woopsie! I hope I don’t get a ticket” situation rather than a “crap I need to call a lawyer, I hope I don’t go to prison” is an American take on the situation.
Many countries have exit controls, where you go through a customs and immigration check on your way out of the country. The US and Canada are a little unusual, in that they don’t. You can leave either, with no government involvement.
But I’ve had to have my passport stamped when leaving places. Never had to open my luggage. Anyway, the point is that it’s not unusual to have to go through some sort of checkpoint when leaving a country.