Chinese national carrying bulletproof vest denied entry to US possessed ‘significant cache of firearms’

Officials say traveller was deemed inadmissible after searching his US residence and discovering guns, bump stocks and several high capacity magazines

A Chinese national was sent back to Beijing after US Customs and Border Protection discovered body armour and other tactical gear in his luggage at a Detroit airport earlier this month, officials said. (Simon Calder)

A Chinese national who was denied entry to the United States after officials discovered ballistic armour in his luggage possessed a “significant weapons cache” at his US residence, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said on Friday.

A photo of the weaponry sent to The Independent by CBP showed at least five guns, several high-capacity magazines and attachments used to make semiautomatic weapons fire faster, commonly known as “bump-stock” devices.

Officials “obtained consent” to search the Chinese national’s residence, CBP said in a statement.

“This search resulted in the discovery of a significant cache of firearms and other regulated paraphernalia,” it read.

The Chinese national, who arrived 18 August at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport from Beijing, was deemed inadmissible and sent back to China by CBP officers.

The incident garnered media attention earlier this month after it was first reported by the World Journal, the largest Chinese-language US newspaper. The outlet reportedly said the Chinese-national was a student attending a “prestigious university” in America and informed officers he was carrying body armour in his luggage so "he wouldn't get shot."

CBP allows the importation of some forms of “soft body armour,” according to its website.

The Independent reported at the time that the Chinese national also possessed a gun license in the state of Michigan.

However, the cache of weapons was not previously known until now. The incident sparked controversy on the popular Chinese social media platform Weibo as users criticised the decision by US officials to deny entry to a Chinese national amid an apparent rise in deadly mass shootings nationwide.

China ministry of culture and tourism has warned Chinese citizens “to fully assess the risk of travel to the United States”.

The Chinese national’s identity has not been released. No other identifying information, including the school he was attending or how long he has lived in the US, was provided by CBP.

“CBP personnel are committed to protecting our nation from people who pose serious risks to our communities,” Devin Chamberlain, a CBP area port director in Michigan, said in a statement sent to The Independent.