This happened last year. All told it cost them $18,940 and that didn't include their legal fees. I don't know why the barge cost so much but it apparently did?And as a note, even if you don't have a gun in your vehicle, if the Canadians find something gun related in your vehicle such as ammo for the gun you shipped to Alaska, they're going to suspect you have a gun and look further for it. Read the article. If you ship a gun either north or south, don't leave the ammo, gun belt / case in your vehicle unless you want to sit there at the boarder while they search everything. Buy a new box of ammo when you leave Canada.Canadian news article.Bill

That's unfortunate and expensive. I think they got off easier than they would have if it had been New York. I hope their dog is OK.

Wow, that is pretty stiff. But, it is Canada and it is their law. Like it or not. :(

Oh well, that's what happens when U.S. citizens disrespect Canada's or any other foreign country's laws. What will it take to learn that Canada takes their laws seriously? Being from Alaska, they should have know better. Was it their first time carrying a hand gun into Canada, or was it the first time they were caught?

Stuff like this seems to happen way to often. A few years back, Capt Fred of the Valdez tour boat Lula Belle ran afoul of Canadian law and for awhile the newspapers reported he might lose his captains license over the matter. He and his wife are boat full timers , summers in Valdez working their boat and winters living on the boat in Washington. On the spring trip back to Alaska, he had put in to several Canadian ports for fuel, as he normally did. But in Prince William Sound, a couple of days out of Valdez, he dozed off at the wheel and the autopilot ran them aground, doing serious damage to the boat. He had to call the US Coast Guard for rescue, and in that process they did a standard inventory of the boat. They found his undeclared handgun and ammo on the boat. Canadian authorities were notified and he was charged with the crime. I suspect he ended up with a financial cost higher than the folks in the news article, with the lose of one tourist season, hiring Canadain legal representation, making trips back and forth to Canada for court appearances. Plus on top of that the US Coast Guard was looking into revoking his captains license, so he had to hire a US attorney as well. In the end, he paid a large fine, his boat was not impounded, and he kept his captains license to run his commercial tours. I called him several months later to see if he was going to be touring the following summer or not. For those that haven't met Captain Fred or his wife, just the nicest people you could imagine. They had been making the round trip from Washington to Alaska by boat for the last decade or so but this one summer, according to him, he forgot he had the handgun on board the boat in Washington. On our last crossing of the border into Canada, I was asked if I had a firearm on board. When told, no, they then asked how long it had been since I had a firearm in the RV, our truck camper. Told them I had purchased the camper used about six months before but I couldn't remember ever having a firearm in there, but I couldn't speak for the previous owner. When the gun and drug sniffing dog jumped inside, he checked us out and told his handler we were being honest, no guns. With my past crossings with guns, and some of my work history, where handguns were one of the tools we carried, firearms are all they ever want to talk to me about. I don't even worry about food or booze on board, as I seldom get questioned on those subject. LOL if you own a handgun, there is a strong possibility, it is already on your data sheet in the computers of both countries, as they do share information.

I have a big problem with that article.......it says the man is "elderly" and then says he's 66!!! WHAT????? NO!!!.....btw...Today is my birthday,...I'm 66. :) shouldn't have read it.As for the article.....sorry it cost them so much, but the law in Canada is THE law......

High price for taking an undeclared handgun to Canada

67 Replies

Community Alumni
Feb 24, 2016
Going around in circles now; time to close it.

Moderator
2lazy4U
Explorer
Feb 24, 2016
Why would you want to take a weapon into the U.S. when you can just stop about anywhere and buy one? If it's from a private citizen, no background check, even some pawn shops will sell to you w/o even asking for ID, though I think it's illegal. I have a friend who's a gun collector in Wyoming who buys stuff w/o ever having a background check.

You can buy about anything you want just in the want ads. Of course, I realize this would be more expensive than bringing in your own gun, but you can always sell it before going back to Canada. YMMV depending on the part of the country, but in places like Montana and Idaho it's easy to buy guns.
sue_t
Explorer
Feb 24, 2016
It also takes much longer to get approval to take a weapon into the USA.

An American can do the paperwork at the border to bring their weapon into Canada. Not so going the other way, need to plan a few months ahead.
Wrong_Lane
Explorer
Feb 24, 2016
For those that think the rules and penalties for "forgetting" to declare a firearm when entering Canada are harsh please keep in mind that the laws governing the importation of undeclared firearms into the USA are about the same as Canada.

Penalties for Canadians who "forget" to declare weapons when entering the US include forfeiture of the vehicle they are in, jail time and steep financial penalties as well as a life time ban on future visits to the US.

The US Homeland Security do not look favorably on smuggling weapons into the US and rightly so! Canada takes the same position.

Given the **** taking place in our world today who can blame any country for treating undeclared weapons as a serious offence?

Even if I declare a weapon when entering the US there are very limited circumstances when I would be allowed to bring it with me.

I would need to be on a pre-booked hunting trip (with proof), travelling to a recognized shooting competition or a law enforcement officer on duty. If I say the weapon is for personal protection I will be asked to return to Canada and leave it home. Guess what?? Those are the same circumstances that apply to US citizens when entering Canada with a declared weapon.

Rant over - just thought I should point out the laws for both countries are close to mirror images of each other.
garyhaupt
Explorer
Feb 24, 2016
Just to add fuel to an already hot fire...Canada and the US also exchange huge amounts of financial information on we, the citizens. The idea of being 'free' is very much in our minds..it is not 'in fact'. From the plethora of electronic tracking methods and data sharing....we, the squeaky good ones, are easily accounted for.

Gary Haupt
wilber1
Explorer
Feb 24, 2016
DrewE wrote:
Walaby wrote:

PS. I can't wait until I make my first trip to Canada since I was 18. I know I won't have any guns, but sure will be interesting to see how much scrutiny I get. I really do long for the "old days", that will never return. When I graduated out of high school, we went to Vancouver for a long weekend. Didn't even have to have a passport, just my US drivers license. Those days will never return unfortunately.

Mike

If you are from one of the few states that offers an enhanced driver's license, you very much can go to Canada for a day or a weekend with only a driver's license and usually minimal drama. The "old days" are thankfully not quite so far off as you may be imagining. (The Haskell Free Library and Opera House still simultaneously serves both Derby Line, Vermont and Stanstead, Quebec, for instance.)

NEXUS. Even better.
DrewE
Explorer II
Feb 24, 2016
Walaby wrote:

PS. I can't wait until I make my first trip to Canada since I was 18. I know I won't have any guns, but sure will be interesting to see how much scrutiny I get. I really do long for the "old days", that will never return. When I graduated out of high school, we went to Vancouver for a long weekend. Didn't even have to have a passport, just my US drivers license. Those days will never return unfortunately.

Mike

If you are from one of the few states that offers an enhanced driver's license, you very much can go to Canada for a day or a weekend with only a driver's license and usually minimal drama. The "old days" are thankfully not quite so far off as you may be imagining. (The Haskell Free Library and Opera House still simultaneously serves both Derby Line, Vermont and Stanstead, Quebec, for instance.)
Walaby
Explorer II
Feb 24, 2016
Ain't that the truth. Just ask our Marine who made a wrong turn.

Mike
Tom_Barb
Explorer
Feb 24, 2016
If you believe the Canadians are strict with their gun laws and the punishment is harsh, try seeking a gun into Mexico.
Walaby
Explorer II
Feb 23, 2016
2lazy4U wrote:
Mike, I agree in principle. If I do something legal in my country and then go to another country where the same thing is illegal, it's on ME to not do it (or face the consequences) and on THAT COUNTRY to enforce their own rules. It's NOT the job of my own government to alert them to the fact that I'm doing something that would be illegal in their jurisdiction but is legal in mine. It's a waste of government resources and goes against the grain of having privacy.

Now, if I'm doing something that's illegal in both countries, that's a different matter entirely and the info should be shared (for ex., a murderer trying to hide across the border, etc.).

100 percent in agreement.

Mike