Moving with NERF toy guns

[137lbs]

This is an odd topic I'm sure, but still a question needing to be answered.

We are moving to Singapore from the US in a couple of months. My son, like all boys his age I know, has amassed a large collection of NERF toy guns over the past two years. I need to know if we can/should bring them with us to Singapore.

Are there laws against toy guns over there? Are there places (outdoor or indoor) in the city where children would be able to play with these things? Is this something that kids do in Singapore?The kids in our neighborhood here have NERF wars on a regular basis and they have a lot of fun.

For those who are not familiar with them, NERF guns are bright orange and yellow contraptions that fire soft foam bullets. Some of the "guns" are small and simple, whilst others are gigantic elaborate machines with repeater mechanisms. Either way, they don't hurt. And there's no way to mistake them for real guns in terms of looks or sound.

I suppose my son could use them inside our apartment when in Singapore, but if he'll be the only one with these things in the whole country it would rather boring - and we'd be better off leaving his collection here in the US for use during our visits.

Your insight would be appreciated.

[Toy guns are OK]

Toy guns are fine. NERF guns are tops sellers at all the toy stores here. War toys and war action figures are fine.

Also, slighly off subject, if your company is paying for shipping, bring everything you can think of: children's toys, clothes, paper goods, books. Even canned and jarred food if your shipper allows it (ours did). You can buy most things here, but the high cost will surpirse you. The quality can be poor unless you shop around a lot. Also, slip in chewing gum, most of the kids chew it and want it. Don't worry, it's ok (you didn't hear it here!).

[137 lbs]

Thanks! What a relief! This will make it easier for my son to adjust. Whew!
 
My employer has a budget for shipping personal/household goods -- it's limited but enough to bring what we want to, including the closetful of Nerfs and the crates of Legos.

Do you (or anyone else) know if it's okay to take Nerf guns to a park and have a shootout with friends (or dad)? Or do you have to join some kind of club?

[$Pripps]

http://www.toysrus.com.sg/toysrus/specialoffer/jsp/newSGListProduct.jsp?lang=en&action=KeywordSearch&keyword=nerf  

(Although they have a bigger assortment in the shop)

BTW you can play paintball here too, so no worries

[vulgarity]

Also, slip in chewing gum, most of the kids chew it and want it. Don't worry, it's ok (you didn't hear it here!).

Eurgh!  I only have to suffer the inability of locals to blow their own noses, and now you want that joined by the sound of gum-chewing!

[137 lbs]

Thanks for the reassurance.
And no we won't be bringing gum. He kinda got over that habit last year: *I* banned it after I got tired of finding used/chewed gum all over the place, including inside pants pockets....

[Kafka]

only items you cannot bring are the handcuffs you use to tie Mrs. 137lbs to the bedframe 

[137lbs]

Oooh! I suppose zip-ties might work if handcuffs are not allowed. I wonder why handcuffs are not allowed? Was there a rash of handcuff incidents that prompted the rule?

By the way, I'm actually the Mrs.; the Mr. is 200lbs.

[My boy will be happy]

 
My 7 year old boy loves NERF and he will be happy to here he can bring his guns with him.  

[in our case]

We came from a trip and packed the nerf guns in our suitcases and happened to be chosen at random for a scan just before exiting Changi airport.  We got pulled aside and questioned about what they saw on the xray. Of course after opening our luggage and seeing the items, we were released.

So word of caution, prior to a scan, just mention it already to avoid the hassle. If it is going into the shipment, make sure you declare /describe in detail to avoid delays and possible inspection of everything.

[think not]

my shipment form clearly said no toy guns so I gave ours to charity before coming

[137 pounds]

The paperwork our movers sent along indicate that to bring even toy guns into the country you need special permission from the government. So I am having the movers actually check specifically with their offices in Singapore. I'm hoping the special paperwork only applies to toy guns brought in as merchandise, rather than personal goods (used).

Will post what they tell us.

[replicas]

Hi 137 pounds

I think they are probably referring to replica guns which are not sold here, nerf guns are considered toys so if you tick the box they will tell you that you can't bring them or need to register them. As posters have said you can buy nerf guns all over town so there are no issues

[replicas]

sorry didn't read all the previous posters, maybe you can list them and clearly label then as nerf

[137 pounds]

My forwarder said we will list them on the manifest as TOYS and not to use the word "gun" anywhere. The word is, it doesn't require a license, but as with anything, an official can ultimately say sorry that's not getting through customs...

I had also asked about some ornamental/display weapons - an antique kris, some tribal artifacts... Now THOSE will definitely need some kind of permit. But we looked around and there is nothing specific. The replica gun or antique gun permits don't apply to those because they are not firearms. The most we could find was something that said the forwarder has to report it to some clearinghouse that importers use, and that after we get to Singapore we MAY be asked to present the "weapons" at the police station for inspection. Yeah, I can see how well that's going to go for me -- riding the public transit system carrying swords, spears, and stone axes. Let's see how many feet I get before I'm arrested!