John, if it was "just" a case of slip-ups in paper work, or simple little errors caused by using an FFL insead of an importer, professionals that were employed by an organization that is in charge of regulating those imports, say, US Customs people, would quickly aid and assist those whose property was in jeopardy, and they would do so in a timely and courteous fashion.
They don't. At times, it seems as if they almost prey upon these situations. The experience you related above, of legal property being held 8 months, would seem to indicate as much.
If the law allows for an FFL to make "occasional" imports, the procedure should be streamlined so as to eliminate simple errors, or have them dealt with at the office clerk level. You friends Browning fire arms were not anti-tank weapons, they were legal, collectable and valuable civilian pieces that were destroyed by incompetant US Customs minions.
So it goes. It's too bad, really-these people are supposed to work for us, and not a one I've ever dealt with could comprehend that.
Best,
Ted
