Well, that wasn't very pleasant.

[dreamer]

We crossed into Canada on Sunday. We were at the International Peace Garden crossing. After pulling up to the booth and showing our passports we answered a few questions about the amount of booze we had, if we had any fire arms with us (no) we were told to pull forward and stop. An agent entered the motor home and quizzed us about fire arms mainly. How many we usually traveled with, where we carried them, what caliber were they. Then he and another agent searched inside and outside the motorhome and towed vehicle for around an hour while we were told to wait outside. When they were finished (found nothing) the one agent thanked us for cooperating and we were on our way. I don't think we brought this on ourselves. I believe we were chosen at random. FYI.

[westernrvparkow]

I doubt there are too many people that would actually say that entering the US on a foreign passport is too difficult, that our borders are too protected. Well guess what, when you are a US citizen entering Canada, you are entering a foreign country on a foreign passport. Like it or not, Americans are not a special class, exempt from scrutiny when entering another country. Canada treats firearms significantly differently than the US, so that will be an area of interest to Canadians.
And personally, I want any boat, plane, RV, or whatever to be closely vetted when it is being taken into another country, because if it is stolen, recovering it is going to be next to impossible once it leaves it's country of registration.

[Tom_Barb]

dreamer wrote:
We crossed into Canada on Sunday. We were at the International Peace Garden crossing. After pulling up to the booth and showing our passports we answered a few questions about the amount of booze we had, if we had any fire arms with us (no) we were told to pull forward and stop. An agent entered the motor home and quizzed us about fire arms mainly. How many we usually traveled with, where we carried them, what caliber were they. Then he and another agent searched inside and outside the motorhome and towed vehicle for around an hour while we were told to wait outside. When they were finished (found nothing) the one agent thanked us for cooperating and we were on our way. I don't think we brought this on ourselves. I believe we were chosen at random. FYI.

We tried to enter the US at the piece arch on I-5, towing our new aircraft on a trailer, and was told to pull into the inspection area and go inside, the guard placed a orange sticker on the windshield. so we did. after we were inside the customs agents made us wait 35 minutes before any one would talk to us about what was going to happen, the took our pass ports and paper work on the aircraft and went into the office. we waited another 30 minutes prior to them coming back to tell us the we could not enter at this crossing. we were returned to Canada and told to cross at the Linden commercial crossing because we were importing material.
Arriving the Linden station we sat in the booth for 35 minutes waiting a "wants and warrants check", then told to park at the loading dock and go inside. we did. it took the customs agents 4.5 hours to determine which form to use, for private goods that had no duty due. plus how to do a stolen aircraft check. We watched 6 customs agents set at their computer stations playing solitaire for 4.5 hours waiting to get our relieve form and our passports back.
OBTW there is no method of searching for a stolen aircraft. Plus I have the US registration for our aircraft.
I have since registered a complaint at the US customs web page for all the good it will do.

[agesilaus]

We got the third degree about firearms one of two times when we crossed last summer. I have concealed weapons permit which may show up on their computer. Like you they asked us repeatedly the same question phrased different ways. But we didn't get a search. Two days earlier at the same entry point were weren't asked about firearms it was just the standard questions, where were we going ect and then waved thru but we weren't towing that time.

Coming back the US did search the fiver.

If you do not have a CCW then you aren't supposed to show up on any database as a weapons owner. THere would be a political firestorm if there was some secret database.

[sue_t]

We were once searched heading into Washington State at the Peace Arch Crossing at 10 p.m.

First the sniffer dog went through the motorhome. Then the agents while we waited inside the building. An hour later they came out with our California oranges and told us we could continue on our trip to Oregon. They took the oranges but left the grapefruit, bananas, and all the other fruit.

They also left it tidy although I could tell every cupboard, drawer and storage space had been shuffled about.

[Mike_E_]

Had a similar experience crossing into the States a few years ago.
Border guard was just about to hand our passports back, glanced at his screen and said, "Aahhh....You've been selected for a random check."
Pulled up, took the 3 kids and dog up to their office while they searched, waited for it to be done and then we were on our merry way.
Never asked us once if we had firearms though 🙂

So, don't take it personally....they're just doing their jobs.

[Little_Kopit]

Do you in fact own firearms? Is there a computer record somewhere re. that ownership of those items?

I know full well that once I cross the border with a new to me vehicle, it is that vehicle which is in the border computer files re . me.

So, the thought that comes to me, there is something on file somewhere that made the suggestion to really check these people thoroughly re. firearms.

:C