Failing to Declare Firearms at a Canadian Border Crossing

[Gene]

Not all Canadians say "eh". It seems to be regional, just like "y'all". It is like Spanish speakers who end a sentence with "no?". It seems to ask for a response or mean "did you hear me".

I thought a spigot was the thing that water comes out of and a faucet is the whole assembly including the spigot and the valve that opens and closes it. To me a "tap" is something you buy from someone or a water company to get water. A hydro pedestal? Maybe that is the faucet valve you use your foot on as on many trailer toilets, but you can get them for a residential kitchen faucet too. How about "sanidump"? A more elegant word than "dump station".

I think either rye or scotch would not benefit from a Coke, nor does rum. Well, I don't think anything can make rye drinkable. I'll stick with ale, no fruit or wheat.

Gene

[dames7]

As Americans it is our responsibility to ensure that we abide by other countries laws, even if they don't abide by ours. This is what makes us American to always do the right thing.

On the other hand, I travel in the USA fully arm and am going to Canada as my family is from Canada. It's is very beautiful place.

Happy 4th of July from Vietnam Veteran.

[davidlparker]

Originally Posted by RangerJay

This is taken from today's Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal:

Border officials deal with rash of guns at port of entry
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal

A Missouri man has a court date in Fort Frances later this month to deal with charges following yet another seizure of a handgun at the town’s border crossing by Canadian inspectors. It’s the eighth time a gun has been seized at the Fort Frances border so far this year, compared to three seizures for all of 2014.

Border investigators said they found a loaded .22 calibre revolver in the glove compartment of the man’s truck during a search on June 24 during an attempt to enter Ontario.

He was later charged under the federal Customs Act with non-report of goods, wilful evasion, possession of illegally imported goods and smuggling, a Canada Border Services Agency said in a news release on Friday.

CBSA spokesman Chris Kealey said the number of handgun seizures at the Fort Frances border varies from year to year. “Keeping firearms out of our community is our highest priority, so it’s something we’re focused on all the time,” Kealey said.

The accused was released on a US$300 recognizance. He is to appear in court on July 27.

The lesson here is that failing to declare a firearm at a Canadian Border Crossing is a big deal.


Jay

One may legally take a long gun, e.g., rifle or shotgun, into Canada by declaring the firearm, filing the appropriate declaration form and pay the $25.00 fee. One may NOT take a handgun into Canada! Don't even try. While there may be exceptions I do not know what they are and generally do not even include sworn law enforcement officers. Do not tempt fate and do not think you can sneak it in.

David Parker
1969 Sovereign (31!)
1989 Dodge D-350

[dannydimitt]

When the wife and I drove up through Canada to Alaska and back two summers ago , we obeyed the Canadian firearms laws by traveling with a 12 gauge pump shotgun with buckshot and slugs for ammo . We contacted the RCMP ahead of time and they mailed us permit form to fill out ahead of time and payed the 25 dollar permit fee when first entering British Columbia from Montana. They never wanted to see the shotgun at all . I would hand the border guard the Canadian firearms permit every time we would reenter Canada and they were never concerned about it .

[paiceman]

Keep in mind many states in the US have even stricter gun laws with respect to carry concealed and or in a vehicle. To name just a few, NY, NJ, MA, CT, RI, IL. Each state has it's own laws and my only suggestion is if you carry a weapon across state lines it would benefit you to know the laws of each state you are passing thru. ALSO, even if you have a permit which is legal in the state you are traveling in and you get out of your vehicle, leaving the firearm in the vehicle the passenger in the vehicle now has possession of the weapon and without a permit they can be charged.

Used to teach firearms and firearms safety and the law and we covered each state in our classes. Penalties in certain states can be very severe, up to and including jail, confiscation of vehicle etc. If you travel cross country with weapon(s) you should look into multiple permits.

Here is a link on the Canadian laws for entering Canada with a firearm. Pretty simple and it's their country.

Bringing Weapons Into Canada | Embassy of the United States Ottawa, Canada

[ghaynes755]

Interesting discussion. Instead of bashing and trashing Canada why not focus closer to home. Read the news about people stopped in NJ and NY. Legally had a carry license. Gun in car. Go to jail. Take the kids away. Seriously it's worse here in the those two states. Massive costs.

[dkottum]

It's hard to resist these threads without an opinion, so . . . my cousins in northern Minnesota use "eh" as fluently as our very good friends in B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and even Kebec. Canada is a beautiful place with wonderful people, sometimes more civil than us.

[Alphonse]

I like the Canadians. Good trading partners, a nation that we trust, and our nearest neighbor who is not a threat to us.

[paiceman]

Here is another link one might find interesting if making a decision to carry or not across state lines. To simplify basically you have the right to carry across any state, however, the weapon must be in a locked case, ammo in another locked case and neither can be accessible to anyone in the vehicle. Further, one cannot stop in the said state with the exception of a stop for fuel, food or bathroom break. One cannot stop overnight, stop to rest and in some states if asked you must provide a reservation for that night out of state. ie traveling through MA one must be able to provide a reservation for that night in say ME.

http://www.handgunlaw.us/states/usa.pdf

[Gene]

Originally Posted by dkottum

It's hard to resist these threads without an opinion, so . . . my cousins in northern Minnesota use "eh" as fluently as our very good friends in B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and even Kebec. Canada is a beautiful place with wonderful people, sometimes more civil than us.

Dialects know no borders and long ago the open border between Canada and the US saw people move from Ontario into Minnesota and other northern states bringing "eh" and other examples of the Canadian version of English with them. While other provinces contributed people to American states, people often moved west horizontally, so Ontarians (is that a word?) often ended up in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and the Dakotas. I suspect the many French names in the American west were a result of Quebecois (that is a word) moving west too. And northern New England has a history of "eh" too along with "yup".

All dialects are disappearing as radio and TV bring us a neutral English. The New England dialect is not often heard anymore and southern English is disappearing too although "y'all" is persistent.

Gene

[AWCHIEF]

Originally Posted by cameront120

If our gun laws keep the wing-nuts out. I'm all for it.

Must of lost something in translation from Candian English to American English.

[Gene]

I have wingnuts on my stabilizer jacks—do I have to remove them to cross the border?

Another bit of border crossing info—you are supposed to have an insurance card showing you have truck and trailer insurance that is good in Canada. Some US insurance companies do not like having to provide one as it costs them money to print and mail them. And most people traveling to Canada probably don't know they should have them. I doubt this is much of a problem unless you have an accident and have to prove you have insurance. And then there is short term health insurance good in Canada—something I have to research.

Gene

[DavidsonOverlander]

Whenever there is talk of crossing the border, someone invariably comments on which border security agents are more reasonable, more polite, easier to deal with, etc. As a Canadian (married to an American with four dual-citizen kids) who has crossed the border at least a thousand times in the past 30 years I couldn't say that there is any general difference in the demeanor of the agents from one country or the other. The vast majority of them are professional and polite. Every now and then you get someone who is having a bad day or is overly suspicious, but that has been very rare in my experience.

I'm sorry to hear that some of you would not venture into Canada just because you're concerned about travelling without a gun, or going through the proper process to bring one with you. I feel completely at home in the USA without carrying a gun, and with Canada's murder rate being about a third that of the USA I can't imagine why you'd feel the need to carry here.

I hope you'll reconsider and come to enjoy our beautiful country as much as we enjoy yours!

[AWCHIEF]

And don't forget to remove the wing nuts on your battery post. Those can do a lot of damage if used improperly.

[Gene]

Originally Posted by DavidsonOverlander

Whenever there is talk of crossing the border, someone invariably comments on which border security agents are more reasonable, more polite, easier to deal with, etc. As a Canadian (married to an American with four dual-citizen kids) who has crossed the border at least a thousand times in the past 30 years I couldn't say that there is any general difference in the demeanor of the agents from one country or the other. The vast majority of them are professional and polite. Every now and then you get someone who is having a bad day or is overly suspicious, but that has been very rare in my experience.

I've only crossed the border hundreds of times starting in 1947 (I have no idea what happened at the border then). When I lived on the border in the '70's, long hair, beards and old cars caused problems coming back to the US. Then immigration and customs guys wore different colored uniforms, so at the Peace Bridge between Ft. Erie, Ont., and Buffalo, NY, we looked for the customs guys when we aimed for a specific kiosk because they were friendly, the immigration guys were not. Now all are in one agency and have adopted the immigration attitude. Maybe my longish hair and full beard are the problem, though I don't drive old cars anymore. Last time we traveled, in 2010, there were a lot of new hires on the US side and maybe they have gotten enough experience by now to have improved. We'll find out next month.

Gene

[AWCHIEF]

Grant, it is not Canada that I fear. It is some of the U.S. areas I have to drive thru to get to your wonderful country. Plus when going to the U.S. State of Alaska we have no choice but to drive thru Canada. You can be assured that when I visit I will respect Canadian law just as I expect all visitors to my country to do.

[Gene]

You can take a ferry from Wash. to Alaska and maybe get around the gun issue that way. The ferry isn't cheap and it would probably make more sense to buy a gun in Alaska and sell it before you leave.

Gene

[AWCHIEF]

I would rather make the drive and respecting Canadian law leave the handgun at home and take a legal shotgun (of course to be used only for protection against bears in Alaska.)
An Alaskan cruise is on my bucket list but not with the trailer.

[mrfixit51]

Originally Posted by Gene

Dialects know no borders and long ago the open border between Canada and the US saw people move from Ontario into Minnesota and other northern states bringing "eh" and other examples of the Canadian version of English with them. While other provinces contributed people to American states, people often moved west horizontally, so Ontarians (is that a word?) often ended up in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and the Dakotas. I suspect the many French names in the American west were a result of Quebecois (that is a word) moving west too. And northern New England has a history of "eh" too along with "yup".

All dialects are disappearing as radio and TV bring us a neutral English. The New England dialect is not often heard anymore and southern English is disappearing too although "y'all" is persistent.

Gene

We both live in wonderful , diverse , democratic countries. The language is a bit different , but we can always be understood. Just for a little history lesson, not all French in Canada are from Quebec(quebecois). Actually ,the French in the maritimes(Eastern Canada) have quite a longer history of residence in Canada. They are acadians or cousins to the Cajuns in Louisiana. A lot of French names in new England are also derivatives of the Acadians, who were expulsed by the English army when they lost the war in the 1750's. That's how they ended up in Louisiana The Acadians have been in the maritimes provinces of Canada since the late 1500's. My family personally since 1650. I am very proud of my french ancestors. We still speak French ,but are bilingual, fr and eng. Our french language seems to have wained a bit and it is a daily struggle to retain it. All French came from France or a French colony and English from England or an English colony at the time . These were the facts as I know them. Thks for reading

[polarlyse]

A friend once tried to explain to me where the " EH" came from. In his opinion if you grew up in Canada and had to write you address or tell someone your address through your whole life you would also. Such as C-eh-N-eh-D-eh. When he told me this we were on a cruise to P-eh-N-eh-M-eh. We have crossed the border many times with and without our trailer. Never ran into any immigration officials on either side that were anything but efficient and professional. Only had our trailer checked one time crossing back into the US at a crossing in Maine. Lo and behold we had 2 lemons in our refrigerator that needed to be confiscated. Who new, certainly not me. Now I do however. It was early in the morning and at the time I simply thought they needed lemon for their cup of tea. Since then I've come to understand the "why". We enjoy all of our trips into Canada. If I make the bucket list trip to Alaska I will likely comply with the rules and carry a shotgun.

Oh, and, bye-the-way ironically enough the lemons came from NJ. We brought them from home but without stickers attached ........ .