Originally Posted by
FlyingHoustonian
A lot of odd/old/rumour information in this thread IMO but folks are trying to be helpful.
What the consulate (not embassy, which is in Washington) told you is true and can be done with some proper planning. Perche is very correct about one thing, depending on how organised the group is in Italia you could have some delays in getting a fast turnaround on the required documents. Of course, I have participated in shooting tournaments all over Italia and some are very local, others very international so if it is one used to having visitors they could be ready for it. YMMV.
As for the consulate in Houston, I know them very well, maybe that is why I get great service when I am in Houston. One challenge is they have been given new rules on many subjects, with little clarification yet from Roma so certain things are up to interpretation and each consul will do it slightly differently sometime. Of course this applies to communes in Italia also LOL.
Frankly in my experience it is not that hard to get, own, or keep a gun in Italia. I have pistols and long guns. Travelling here with them can be a pain but it is doable.
Italia has a quality gun business and great clubs and hunting. Italia has the oldest gun company in the world do not forget and great other companies as well.
Good luck and good shooting.
As for ID it was mentioned above it is required in the USA which is false, unless you are not a citizen. There is no requirement for Americans to carry ID. Some states have laws requiring people to truthfully ID themselves to police but not carry an ID.
It is required in the US to show an ID if the police stop you because they think you have done something wrong, or else you'll likely be taking a trip to the police station until you can verify that you are who you say you are. Hotel and air-port check-in require have an ID unless you want to go through, "special" procedures, and an ID is required by many stores if you want to use your credit card in some stores. It's the same in Italy. They want to see a passport for you to get on a plane, if you want a VAT refund, etc. A passport is more unwieldy than a Carta d'identita, and so the latter is often more convenient except at the airport.
I don't know what rumors you are referring to. Gun laws in Italy are much stricter than here. OP says he has difficulty checking in with a gun in the USA, and has to carry a copy of the relevant regulations with him to show gate agents because they are not familiar with the law. On his behalf I called the Italian local police, federal police, and the gun club holding the tournament. None of them had any idea how to bring a gun into Italy. The lady at the consulate in LA may have told him it was a piece of cake, but I'm not sure if a local official in a small Umbrian is going to be any more up to date about application of EU and Italian firearm laws to foreigners than a gate agent at LAX is about how US laws apply to its own citizens.
As I said to OP, I think it's doable, but dealing with the italian bureaucracy, especially for something they don't see all the time, is rarely easy.