From Texas to Alaska, my border crossings in Canada

[psychicrhino]

For those of you who travel to Canada frequently this will likely be old hat and of little interest for you. For those infrequent travelers to Canada, I thought I would share. I just returned a couple of days ago from a 5 week road trip with wife and two sons (7&9). Was driving a dually with cabover camper and pulling a small single axle trailer with a cargo box upon it. Crossed the border in Washington, north of Bellingham. Not at the westernmost crossing but one east of there. This crossing would have been about July 10th-ish. I made sure to change my camo Winchester Super-X cap for a red hardware store cap and wore a plain t-shirt for the crossing.

[I DID NOT CARRY A FIREARM WITH ME TO REDUCE HASSLE...HOPEFULLY]

So, after you wait in line for 45 minutes or so, you get up to the booth (kinda like a toll booth) and stop . I turned off the diesel as requested. I answered the officer's questions as honestly as I was able "Where are you going....who is in the vehicle (had already handed over the passports)...what is in the camper....the trailer....who much money do you have....where are you going....what kind of guns did you bring....what will you be doing in Alaska....how long will you stay...who do you know there" Then he scrawled something on a paper and told us to pull through and walk into the building "Just go in there for a minute and you will be on your way".

Inside we waited in a short line. A female officer asked many of the same questions but very casually added new ones like " where do you keep your gun in the truck...what kind of guns do you keep in your truck...what kind of guns do you own... how many guns to you own...what kind of work do you do....are you familiar with the gun laws in Canada". I answered the questions as best I could " No guns in the truck....keep a .38 in the console usually...last time I had a gun in the truck was the day before we left Texas...I own about 3 dozen guns....revolvers, semiautos, shotguns, bolt rifles, lever actions, pumps....yes I read up on the restrictions in Canada, that is why I did not bother to bring a gun".

So.....then they said "Is there anything you would like to go and remove from your vehicle before we search it? [already in Canada at this point]. My wife asked "Like what?", response " Like any cash you may have or anything like that." My wife responded " Do I need to? You aren't going to take it are you [laughing]?. Officer "No". Gave them the keys to everything and two officers gloved up and went to work. Took them about 20 minutes to flip everything over. When they came back in the female officer handed over the keys and said "You are free to go" and that was that.

I was pretty indifferent to the whole process and figured my license plate would be enough to get me searched regardless of the answers. My kids were the most upset at having their stuff tossed in the back seat of the crew cab. Was the only time we were searched.

Going into Alaska the US border patrol officer showed me his Texas tat and asked some cursory questions, sharing that he was from Texas too. Coming back into Canada from Alaska, I thought for sure I would get searched again. Was another female officer that asked where we crossed the first time, most of the same gun questions and also asked if I was a concealed carry license holder.

Soo, there you have it. That was my experience...and was the first time I have crossed the border in several years...this seemed much more intense that I remember it in 2001 or 2009.

Lastly, met a fellow travelling up from California my last day in Alaska who had brought a shotgun through Canada and had done the paperwork for it and had declared it at the border. Had a cabover similar to mine. He is retired navy he said and just travelling. He said that when he crossed a few days prior (last week or so of July), that even after declaring the longarm and having the paperwork and fees in order he still got searched. And here I will quote what he told me as best I can "They searched my truck anyway and found a cheap 25 cal pistol that I had forgot was in there. I told them I had just forgotten that I had it. They put me in cuffs and had me that way for a while, asking me lots more questions. I guess they finally believed me that it was just a mistake cause they let me out of the cuffs. They fined me $1000 and kept the pistol which wasn't worth $150. They had another old man there in cuffs too that they had found a pistol in his car too but I don't think they were gonna let him go. They still let me enter the country and I was surprised about that". Again, those were his words. Just thought I would share.

I thought about buying a shotgun when I got there but never did. Mostly stayed offshore fishing or in the camper in the community where we stayed. May try to do the paperwork to carry a shotgun next time cause we did do a little creek fishing for salmon. Or, I may just take the ferry from Bellingham Wa, to Ketchikan and points northern from there and never cross the Canadian border next time.

[MT Gianni]

We have crossed several times and never been searched. That is what local plates get you.

[StolzerandSons]

Things might have changed but years ago we took the ferry from Bellingham to Homer, no BS, no hassles and no questions about what we had in our possession. I'd say skip Canada and take the ferry, less driving and lots less hassle but that's just me.

[MaryB]

If you take the ferry contact AK friends that reload and see if they need anything like powder/primers and cart it with.

[Harter66]

I went to Canada once in the 90s . My Dad and I went north of Calgary to look at an airplane. Beyond the cursory where,now long,what ,any guns, there weren't any delays. Things have really changed.

[dh2]

reading this here to learn. I want to some day hunt in Canada with modern rules What would be involved in taking a bolt action rifle? And my .454 Cassull (a heavy revolver) if it can go? I know NO simi auto rifles.

[starmac]

There is quite a bit involved to carry the pistol, if even possible. The rifle is not a problem. If you are hunting in canada, you may have to hire an outfitter to bring your rifle even, but not sure on that.

I have been searched by canadian customs a couple of times, but it was never a bad experience. I have had bad experiences with our side trying to return to the US, even to the point of having to turn around and go back to Canada once. lol

[BruceB]

Look guys....

Instead of chasing this topic all around the mulberry bush, go to

www.cfc.ca


and get the CURRENT INFORMATION from the horse's mouth.... that is, from the Canadian authorities.

On the page that comes up in the search, click on "Canadian Firearms Program- Royal Canadian Mounted Police".

There is a clickable link there for "Visitors to Canada" and it has all the REAL facts for this inquiry.

[bearcove]

Yep its a one page form to bring in 3 long guns. $25 if I recall correctly. Sporting guns are no problem, lever bolt SS... Black junk runs into a bunch of regs. They have a list. Call and they will check it. Checked my Rossi Puma 92 454 cause the tube mag is 10 rds. No prob. Have to call cause the person I talked to said to many variables to put online. Like I was transiting to Ak not staying in Canada. different rules

Ammo you can take 200 rds without paying tariff. I just checked about 2 weeks. This was for transiting to Ak. Use in Canada I don't know about.

Most of this is caused by Homeland Security, OURS, in my opinion. Don't need a passport to enter Canada. BUT can't reenter the US without one.

[DeanWinchester]

All the cràp we waste tax dollars on, can't we make them a reasonable offer for a small corner of land so ewe don't have to put up with this? Ridiculous.

[jcwit]

Only problem I've ever had was crossing back into the U.S., and that was with an opened carton of Salem's containing 9 packs. Ended up letting them keep the cigs and all was well.

[ghh3rd]

www.cfc.ca (http://www.cfc.ca/) won't open for me.

[BruceB]

I suggest a Google search for "Canadian Firearms Centre".

Strange that it won't open; I had no difficulty. Oh, well....

[starmac]

All the cràp we waste tax dollars on, can't we make them a reasonable offer for a small corner of land so ewe don't have to put up with this? Ridiculous.

canadian laws are simple and straight forward. Pretty much one set of laws for the whole country, not fifty different sets of laws like we have. lol It is easier for us to carry canadian legal firearms through Canada, than it is for us to carry them across our own country anyday.

[Friends call me Pac]

In 1988 I had zero problems crossing from Alaska into Canada but crossing from Canada into Montana was a huge hassle. I thought my active duty PCS orders and Military ID would help but found out they didn't amount to squat. Guilty until proven innocent.

[MaryB]

Unless of course you are from some central american country...


In 1988 I had zero problems crossing from Alaska into Canada but crossing from Canada into Montana was a huge hassle. I thought my active duty PCS orders and Military ID would help but found out they didn't amount to squat. Guilty until proven innocent.

[psychicrhino]

Yep, I agree that going to the horses mouth is best for the info. And again, this post was not for the experienced border crossers who likely live in a border state and routinely cross but for those such as myself who live many states away. I just know that for myself, I had a hard time figuring out who was the right horse to look to for the info....for example there is gun transport info available from several places online like the Canadian embassy, the Mounted Police, provincial authorities etc. Some of the info was outdated (difft. fee amounts, etc). Was hard for me to know what was correct. Next time I will take an old beater 12 ga I have and try the process as travelling without still got me searched.

[starmac]

I have never been searched when I declared my firearms, I have been searched a couple of times when not carrying any. The searches I have undergone has been pretty minor searches, and were what I believe was sort of random. I did make the mistake (jokingly) of asking what I needed to do to bring my 44 thru, while my daughter was filling out the permit for 5 firearms that we had of hers. lol The custom agent would work on paperwork for a minute or two then look over at me and ask where my 44 was, probably ask me 10 times during the process. lol He didn't search us, but did (normal) look at the firearms to make sure barrel lengths and serial nimbers matched what we had put on the forms, one of which was old enough to not to have a serial #, but was still not a problem.

[thxmrgarand]

Crossing into Canada I have been pulled over and questioned about how many guns I have at home in the US. One of those times the Canuck border guard cited the NRA bumper sticker on my truck as the reason.

My wife and I used to go to trap shoots in Canada and enjoyed the shoots and the people very much. However, on January 1, 2000, the Canucks began demanding the serial numbers of guns (in addition to the fee, which I never minded paying) and we have not been back. I believe it is unethical and like urinating on the graves of WWII veterans when we give up our serial numbers, especially since the US saved Canada when it saved all of the United Kingdom in WWII. My father and two of his brothers fought the Germans - the two brothers at Normandy, and my father-in-law was captured in France and spent the end of the war in a prison camp.

My belief is that Dunkirk says as much about the Canadian government today as it said about the armed forces of the UK at the time it occurred. A country the size of Texas brought the entire UK to its knees, and the contemporary Canadian government makes it easy to see how and why.

[starmac]

When I take guns across the Canadian border, I have to stop at US customs and give them the serial #, and they now check them, where they give me a form to give Canadian customs. All the Canadians are doing is checking to make sure the paperwork is in order, the serial numbers is required by the US. The only times I have to even stop at US customs (leaveing the country) is when I am carrying a firearm, or have a vehicle loaded up, which they want to check the registration.

[BCboy]

Crossing into Canada I have been pulled over and questioned about how many guns I have at home in the US. One of those times the Canuck border guard cited the NRA bumper sticker on my truck as the reason.

My wife and I used to go to trap shoots in Canada and enjoyed the shoots and the people very much. However, on January 1, 2000, the Canucks began demanding the serial numbers of guns (in addition to the fee, which I never minded paying) and we have not been back. I believe it is unethical and like urinating on the graves of WWII veterans when we give up our serial numbers, especially since the US saved Canada when it saved all of the United Kingdom in WWII. My father and two of his brothers fought the Germans - the two brothers at Normandy, and my father-in-law was captured in France and spent the end of the war in a prison camp.

My belief is that Dunkirk says as much about the Canadian government today as it said about the armed forces of the UK at the time it occurred. A country the size of Texas brought the entire UK to its knees, and the contemporary Canadian government makes it easy to see how and why.
We folk who are not Americans sometimes get a little sick of the hype. WW1 started in August of 1914 and ended in November of 1918. Canada was in that war from the start and lost over 58000 dead. You Americans entered the war in 1917 and were in it for less than a year and during that time lost far fewer men than Canada, not to speak of the hundreds of thousands that the British lost. And yet we have to listen to your constant crowing about how you won the war, not to speak of the outright lies generated by Hollywood. How about WW2? It started in September of 1939 And ended in April of 1945. You Americans did not enter the war until December of 1941. You were neutral for the first two years of the war and my father had to sit on a minesweeper in the North Atlantic watching American ships pass by that were trading with the Germans, and listen to Father Couglin broadcasting his pro German program on the radio. The Canada that you put down, with a population of 12 million, ended up with the third largest combined Armed Forces on the Allied side in WW2. At the end of that war you Americans owed us money! The Canadian Navy had the responsibility for protecting the entire western North Atlantic. This of course included all your American ships once you had got off your backsides and joined the war. So don't give us any of your **** about how you won the war. This now brings us to our border and our laws. We are a separate and independent country. Get over it. We have to obey your laws when we are in your country. You need to obey our laws when you are in our country. Whether you like it or not we happen to believe that handguns need to be carefully regulated. Perhaps the fact that we have far far fewer murders committed per capita, with handguns than you Americans is indicative of the wisdom of our laws in that respect. I will end this rant with a little suggestion for you Americans. The world is becoming a more and more dangerous place. America in particular is in need of friends and allies. Your constant ultra nationalist " we're so great" propaganda is not helping you get or retain those friends.

[prsman23]

Neither is a post like that :)

[thxmrgarand]

Americans do not need any friends who ban handguns and register their guns! If Canadians had a constitution it might well be as much of an embarrassment as was the United Kingdom performance in WWII. Only revisionists can defend the impacts of gun control in the United Kingdom, including Canada, or the outcome of WWII had the United States not entered the war to save the world from Nazi domination.

Any Canadian who defends the handgun controls, including confiscation of small caliber handguns a generation ago, in Canada and the near complete banning of practical ownership of any firearm in much of the United Kingdom is no friend to freedom-loving Americans. As both Hitler and Lord George proved; if a government knows where the guns are it is certain to come after them. Some states and municipalities here have followed that example, and even today we can see on the news that those locations have riots in the streets and police using everything short of shoulder-held rockets to combat those riots.

When I visit Vancouver, BC I see open prostitution, entirely visible drug use during daylight hours in shopping districts, citizens entirely intimidated by youths speeding up and down the sidewalks on skateboards and carrying slingshots, and a city very much gone to the gutter and the lowest common denominator. Some Canucks may defend their gun control but later today here in a US city I will visit a Home Depot and a Kroger grocery store and I will openly wear a 1911, something no Canuck can do in Vancouver but a law-abiding Canuck could do so right here. No one will even notice, and I will not be the only one wearing a sidearm. I cannot think of anything to recommend the gun control found right now in Vancouver, BC. And if the laws of England continue to be a preview of what to expect in Canada then you had best hide your kitchen knives.

[starmac]

The Canucks have the same problems we do. They have their large population centers making the laws. They have to stay on their game (and do) fighting gun laws. Just in the last year or so, they got rid of their long gun registration. Their laws on handguns sucks, but some of their laws are freeer than ours. And like I mentioned before they have one set of laws, where as if we travel the country, we have 50 sets that we can't keep up with.

[waksupi]

Anyone who thinks Canada didn't play a big hand in the World Wars, sure hasn't paid much attention to history.

[NavyVet1959]

We folk who are not Americans sometimes get a little sick of the hype. WW1 started in August of 1914 and ended in November of 1918. Canada was in that war from the start and lost over 58000 dead. You Americans entered the war in 1917 and were in it for less than a year and during that time lost far fewer men than Canada, not to speak of the hundreds of thousands that the British lost. And yet we have to listen to your constant crowing about how you won the war, not to speak of the outright lies generated by Hollywood. How about WW2? It started in September of 1939 And ended in April of 1945. You Americans did not enter the war until December of 1941. You were neutral for the first two years of the war and my father had to sit on a minesweeper in the North Atlantic watching American ships pass by that were trading with the Germans, and listen to Father Couglin broadcasting his pro German program on the radio. The Canada that you put down, with a population of 12 million, ended up with the third largest combined Armed Forces on the Allied side in WW2. At the end of that war you Americans owed us money! The Canadian Navy had the responsibility for protecting the entire western North Atlantic. This of course included all your American ships once you had got off your backsides and joined the war. So don't give us any of your **** about how you won the war. This now brings us to our border and our laws. We are a separate and independent country. Get over it. We have to obey your laws when we are in your country. You need to obey our laws when you are in our country. Whether you like it or not we happen to believe that handguns need to be carefully regulated. Perhaps the fact that we have far far fewer murders committed per capita, with handguns than you Americans is indicative of the wisdom of our laws in that respect. I will end this rant with a little suggestion for you Americans. The world is becoming a more and more dangerous place. America in particular is in need of friends and allies. Your constant ultra nationalist " we're so great" propaganda is not helping you get or retain those friends.

Wow... You 51st Staters sure get defensive. Is that because ya'll haven't had the Stanley Cup in 21 years? Feel free to take it back, it's not that big of a deal to us...

[BRobertson]

Wow... You 51st Staters sure get defensive. Is that because ya'll haven't had the Stanley Cup in 21 years? Feel free to take it back, it's not that big of a deal to us...

I think he is a typical jealous Canuk!! There is a reason that a lot of them immigrate to the US. And many more that would if they could!!
I don't hear much about folks wanting to move to Canada!!

[BruceB]

I can tell you that for a serious shooter, Nevada ( for one example) is a paradise compared to Ccanada.

I was born in the USA, and my family moved to Canada in 1947 after my dad was released from the Canadian Army and finished his college degree in Michigan.

FIFTY years later, in '97, I moved my own family to the USA, and Canadian gun laws had a great deal to do with it.

Make no mistake, it's a great country with plenty of positive attributes. For someone who considers firearms to be a major part of his life, however, as we did, .... it's a nightmare by comparison to where I live now.

Every three years, I visit a brother who lives in rural Alberta, and when I cross the border again, southbound, there's a great sense of relief.

Great folks, horrible laws. The urban centers as already mentioned do indeed drive the bus.

I think I'm perfectly correct in saying that the average Canadian has NEVER handled a real handgun in his life, let alone fired one. Perhaps the only handgun he's ever seen was in the holster of a police officer, and the handgun has almost-mythological properties to such people....mostly BAD properties.

One thing that has long amused and puzzled me is that any reasonably-stocked gun store in Canada has plenty of HOLSTERS..... in a country where it's virtually impossible to legally carry a handgun anywhere outside the owner's home.

Most of those "rural Albertans" just ignore the handgun laws, and carry concealed in the field (not in town).

[BRobertson]

I can tell you that for a serious shooter, Nevada ( for one example) is a paradise compared to Ccanada.

I was born in the USA, and my family moved to Canada in 1947 after my dad was released from the Canadian Army and finished his college degree in Michigan.

FIFTY years later, in '97, I moved my own family to the USA, and Canadian gun laws had a great deal to do with it.

Make no mistake, it's a great country with plenty of positive attributes. For someone who considers firearms to be a major part of his life, however, as we did, .... it's a nightmare by comparison to where I live now.

Every three years, I visit a brother who lives in rural Alberta, and when I cross the border again, southbound, there's a great sense of relief.

Great folks, horrible laws. The urban centers as already mentioned do indeed drive the bus.

I think I'm perfectly correct in saying that the average Canadian has NEVER handled a real handgun in his life, let alone fired one. Perhaps the only handgun he's ever seen was in the holster of a plice officer, and the handgun has almost-mythological properties to such people....mostly BAD properties.

One thing that has long amused and puzzled me is that any reasonably-stocked gun store in Canada has plenty of HOLSTERS..... in a country where it's virtually impossible to legally carry a handgun anywhere outside the owner's home.

Most of those "rural Albertans" just ignore the handgun laws, and carry concealed in the field (not in town).

That's for sure!!

I had a friend that was a Mountie , I met him thru our handgun shooting. He ended up immigrating to the US, primarily
because of the gun laws!!

Bob

[thxmrgarand]

I knew a retired Mountie who said that a literal interpretation of the Canadian gun law enacted in the 1990's would prohibit him stopping for gasoline between the trap club and his home since his single-barrel, break-open trap gun had to be registered to only certain locations. I believe he buried many guns in back of his house.

Gun registration always leads to gun confiscation, and Canada is a good example. Moreover, I am compelled to comment that friends and relatives who live in Canada do not in any respect feel as safe as I do (safe from crime let alone their government). The police cannot arrive in time there anymore than they can here, but with the government discouraging firearms ownership the thugs have free rein. For that reason I consider Canada to be a Gestapo state, and perhaps it's therefore true that at least in the UK the Nazi's won after all.

Some years ago my wife and I were making what back then had become our annual school shopping trip to the Edmonton Mall, 1500 miles each way but the scenery was nice. We stopped at the Laird River store and cabins for an ice cream and discovered that some big incident had occurred within the hour. There is a hot springs there and it turned out what had occurred is that a large black bear, or two black bears - no one was sure - had just killed one or two people (cannot remember), a woman and her son I think, right in the springs. An American had then killed the bear or one of the bears with a shotgun he had not declared at the border or at any other time.

I walked up to the hot springs and a Canadian park ranger of some sort was answering questions (sort of) to a small crowd. I asked the fellow if self-defense is a good enough reason to shoot a gun in Canada, and the fellow surprised me by simply answering that a question like that could lead to my arrest. My wife and I immediately climbed in the truck and headed out. Within a minute or two my wife saw but I missed as I was looking at the road the largest black bear she has ever seen as it stood up and watched the traffic. The fellow may have been angry because a woman there had just told him that she believed the fellow with the shotgun had just saved her life. I don't know what all this has to do with anything but since that incident I have always believed that Canadians are much more compliant and subdued regarding their government than we are, and I am not sure they meet my definition of citizen.

[NavyVet1959]

I think he is a typical jealous Canuk!! There is a reason that a lot of them immigrate to the US. And many more that would if they could!!
I don't hear much about folks wanting to move to Canada!!

Well, other than cowardly draft dodgers.

[BruceB]

When buying a handgun in Canada, all of which must be federally-registered, REASONS must be given to the police for the purchase.

Simply stated, "self defense" is not an acceptable reason, and permission to buy may well be denied if one tries to use that reason.

Frankly, I ignored a lot of gun laws in that country, but I was also well aware that my freedom was at serious risk when I disobeyed the regulations.

NOTE: CANADA HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE UNITED KINGDOM, EXCEPT THE LONG COMMON HISTORY AND THE STYLE OF GOVERNMENT (Parliamentary monarchy). IT IS AN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY, AND HAS BEEN SO SINCE 1867!!!!! NO, THE NAZIS DIDN"T "WIN".

[starmac]

I remember when that woman was killed at the hot springs. IIRC it was a Lynden driver that was involved, but he was never in any trouble over it. I don't recall him shooting the bear either though. In those days a lot of carried a shotgun or rifle legally, but they have changed the permit to where it is not feasible now. We used to be able to buy a permit for up to three firearms, that was good for a year, now you can put iirc up to 16 firearms on a permit, but it is only good for one trip. The change in the permit was great for someone moving from the lower 48 to Ak, or visa versa, but no good for the truckers that travel it all the time.

[starmac]

Thinking back on the bear incident at the hot springs. I am pretty sure it was the driver that was killed saving the lady, but he wasn't armed. I actually don't think the bear was ever killed, I know the back springs where it happenned was closed for at least several months over it.

[ryan28]

Just to clear up a couple things, hand guns are not banned here, we just can't pack them around anywhere except the gun range, although like someone pointed out, gun stores have lots of holsters for sale, new and used, so some are. Shotguns and rifles are not registered now (except Quebec), and in most provinces can be transported out to the bush for target shooting or hunting as long as you have a firearms license, no problem there. Not all of us support the system in place, either. We have a few pro gun groups actively working on these issues, and with the help of the conservative government in power now, have made a few positive changes so far. We know the liberals will get in power at some time though, and they are clear about their anti-gun stance. But we do what we can with what we got.

[NavyVet1959]

It's been a few years since I was last up in Canada (Toronto). What surprised me up there was that as far as I could tell, all the gun ranges up there required a membership. I could not find any gun ranges that were open to the public. Not that it really mattered, since I did not bring more than a couple of mags of self-defense ammo with me when I crossed the border.

[starmac]

Navy vet, the difference between toronto and the western provinces excepting for a few miles above the border in BC, would be comparable to comparing New York city to tyler Texas. lol There are quite a few U.S. citizens in alberta,Bc and the Yukon, probably the Northwest territories.
I wouldn't mind getting lost for the rest of my days in norther Alberta, BC or the Yukon myself, beautiful country and great people to boot.

[BCboy]

Americans do not need any friends who ban handguns and register their guns! If Canadians had a constitution it might well be as much of an embarrassment as was the United Kingdom performance in WWII. Only revisionists can defend the impacts of gun control in the United Kingdom, including Canada, or the outcome of WWII had the United States not entered the war to save the world from Nazi domination.

Any Canadian who defends the handgun controls, including confiscation of small caliber handguns a generation ago, in Canada and the near complete banning of practical ownership of any firearm in much of the United Kingdom is no friend to freedom-loving Americans. As both Hitler and Lord George proved; if a government knows where the guns are it is certain to come after them. Some states and municipalities here have followed that example, and even today we can see on the news that those locations have riots in the streets and police using everything short of shoulder-held rockets to combat those riots.

When I visit Vancouver, BC I see open prostitution, entirely visible drug use during daylight hours in shopping districts, citizens entirely intimidated by youths speeding up and down the sidewalks on skateboards and carrying slingshots, and a city very much gone to the gutter and the lowest common denominator. Some Canucks may defend their gun control but later today here in a US city I will visit a Home Depot and a Kroger grocery store and I will openly wear a 1911, something no Canuck can do in Vancouver but a law-abiding Canuck could do so right here. No one will even notice, and I will not be the only one wearing a sidearm. I cannot think of anything to recommend the gun control found right now in Vancouver, BC. And if the laws of England continue to be a preview of what to expect in Canada then you had best hide your kitchen knives.
Lets deal with firearms related death per 100,000. As of 2011 the total firearms related deaths in Canada per 100,00 was 2.38. In the USA on the other hand, this place of great safety due to the wide availability and open carry of handguns, the death rate per 100,000 was 10.30. That is a rate almost exactly 5 times, thats 500%, greater than Canada. Now if this poster is to be believed, he feels safer in the USA due to his good ol 1911, and yet he is 500% more likely to be a firearms related fatality there??? As Dr Spock in the starship Enterprise would say,"This does not compute"! In Canada in 2012 there were only 543 total homicides from all sources, not to speak only of firearms. This would not equal a good summer season in Chicago all by itself. So the previous poster, if he truly wishes to be safe needs to check his gun belt and crossed bandoliers at the border, and chill out up here in Canada. However he appears to fear the bear population here. Well now, lets look at those statistics. In all of North America, the US, Canada, and Mexico, in 2009 there were a total of 2 bear attack fatalities, in 2010 there were 3, in 2011 there were 4, in 2012 there was 1. During this time there were over 300,000 people killed on the highways. The previous poster is 1000 s of per cent more likely to be killed travelling to see our rather placid and peaceful bears ( considering their rather minuscule homicidal tendencies) than he is to actually encounter one of these beasts. I happen to live in Northern British Columbia in an area that one could say is over run with bears and I can tell you this. If the previous poster really thinks that a hand gun will protect him from a bear that is upset and actually charging, he is a fool. Unless he is really really lucky, his popgun, for that is what hand guns really are, will only serve to enrage that bear and turn what is most probably a show charge into a real one. At that point the previous poster will have a few seconds in which he will fill his drawers, before he becomes one of those tiny number of bear fatalities. This brings us to longarms. In Canada anyone who desires to possess a rifle or shotgun must attend and pass a safe gun handling course. At that point he can buy just about anything, with no waiting period or record check I might add. Its just in the door, show your card, slap down your money and out you go. You must have safe storage at home but thats about it. There is no ammo shortage, by and large, here as well. Again, its in the door show your card and out you go. I happen to own handguns. I needed a special handling course for that but now I have an endorsement on my card. I can walk into my LGS here, which has a large assortment of hand guns, and buy whatever I want. The only requirement that will speed the process is that I must belong to a gun club with a range. My card states that I can carry my handguns to any range in Western Canada at any time. I think that the previous poster needs to do several things: First he needs to ask himself if the easy availability of hand guns in the US is protecting him from crime or adding to the likelihood that he will experience it. Then he needs to read up on the far greater chance that he will be a traffic fatality than he will ever be the victim of a bear attack. Then he will need to examine whether he needs to carry a shotgun preferably loaded with 00 buck rather than his puny 1911 if he continues to be nervous of those big bad bears, and finally he needs to read to real history rather than his regular fare of Louis L'amour Westerns and cease to be one of those thoroughly objectionable, rah, rah, we're so great Americans.

[Geraldo]

All the cràp we waste tax dollars on, can't we make them a reasonable offer for a small corner of land so ewe don't have to put up with this? Ridiculous.

That's the greatest idea I've ever heard. All we need is enough width for an interstate and a couple of gas stations.

What I want to know is why are there questions about guns you have at home?

[waksupi]

Lets deal with firearms related death per 100,000. As of 2011 the total firearms related deaths in Canada per 100,00 was 2.38. In the USA on the other hand, this place of great safety due to the wide availability and open carry of handguns, the death rate per 100,000 was 10.30. That is a rate almost exactly 5 times, thats 500%, greater than Canada. Now if this poster is to be believed, he feels safer in the USA due to his good ol 1911, and yet he is 500% more likely to be a firearms related fatality there??? As Dr Spock in the starship Enterprise would say,"This does not compute"! In Canada in 2012 there were only 543 total homicides from all sources, not to speak only of firearms. This would not equal a good summer season in Chicago all by itself. So the previous poster, if he truly wishes to be safe needs to check his gun belt and crossed bandoliers at the border, and chill out up here in Canada. However he appears to fear the bear population here. Well now, lets look at those statistics. In all of North America, the US, Canada, and Mexico, in 2009 there were a total of 2 bear attack fatalities, in 2010 there were 3, in 2011 there were 4, in 2012 there was 1. During this time there were over 300,000 people killed on the highways. The previous poster is 1000 s of per cent more likely to be killed travelling to see our rather placid and peaceful bears ( considering their rather minuscule homicidal tendencies) than he is to actually encounter one of these beasts. I happen to live in Northern British Columbia in an area that one could say is over run with bears and I can tell you this. If the previous poster really thinks that a hand gun will protect him from a bear that is upset and actually charging, he is a fool. Unless he is really really lucky, his popgun, for that is what hand guns really are, will only serve to enrage that bear and turn what is most probably a show charge into a real one. At that point the previous poster will have a few seconds in which he will fill his drawers, before he becomes one of those tiny number of bear fatalities. This brings us to longarms. In Canada anyone who desires to possess a rifle or shotgun must attend and pass a safe gun handling course. At that point he can buy just about anything, with no waiting period or record check I might add. Its just in the door, show your card, slap down your money and out you go. You must have safe storage at home but thats about it. There is no ammo shortage, by and large, here as well. Again, its in the door show your card and out you go. I happen to own handguns. I needed a special handling course for that but now I have an endorsement on my card. I can walk into my LGS here, which has a large assortment of hand guns, and buy whatever I want. The only requirement that will speed the process is that I must belong to a gun club with a range. My card states that I can carry my handguns to any range in Western Canada at any time. I think that the previous poster needs to do several things: First he needs to ask himself if the easy availability of hand guns in the US is protecting him from crime or adding to the likelihood that he will experience it. Then he needs to read up on the far greater chance that he will be a traffic fatality than he will ever be the victim of a bear attack. Then he will need to examine whether he needs to carry a shotgun preferably loaded with 00 buck rather than his puny 1911 if he continues to be nervous of those big bad bears, and finally he needs to read to real history rather than his regular fare of Louis L'amour Westerns and cease to be one of those thoroughly objectionable, rah, rah, we're so great Americans.


We do have a higher rate of feral animals in the cities, that bring up our averages.

[starmac]

That's the greatest idea I've ever heard. All we need is enough width for an interstate and a couple of gas stations.

What I want to know is why are there questions about guns you have at home?

Interstate???? LOL if it just needs a couple gas stations, the vehicles probably have some huge tanks. lol

[M-Tecs]

We do have a higher rate of feral animals in the cities, that bring up our averages.

100% correct. When you compare the same ethnic backgrounds to each other the rates are amazingly similar. If it was just access to handguns Mexico would be one of the safest places on earth.

[NavyVet1959]

In Canada in 2012 there were only 543 total homicides from all sources, not to speak only of firearms. This would not equal a good summer season in Chicago all by itself.

One could argue (quite convincingly) that there are a higher percentage of people who "needed killin'" in Chicago than in Canada. Sure, ya'll have that whole "passive-aggressive" thing mastered, but irritating as it might be, it just doesn't cause the kind of "needed killin'" feeling that just your normal Chicagoan brings about. :)

Seriously though, you need to look at population density, the ethic culture, and such before you can even think about making a comparison. For example, suicides by firearm should be removed from the statistics. If a person wants to commit suicide, they will find a way.

[BCboy]

One could argue (quite convincingly) that there are a higher percentage of people who "needed killin'" in Chicago than in Canada. Sure, ya'll have that whole "passive-aggressive" thing mastered, but irritating as it might be, it just doesn't cause the kind of "needed killin'" feeling that just your normal Chicagoan brings about. :)

Seriously though, you need to look at population density, the ethic culture, and such before you can even think about making a comparison. For example, suicides by firearm should be removed from the statistics. If a person wants to commit suicide, they will find a way.
You make some good points, and I probably should not rant, but good ol "garand" really got under my skin with his breathtaking show of arrogant ignorance. From your handle I think that you and I come from the same era. You will understand a bit when I say that old age is making me a little testy on occasion. I do think that the US needs to stop taking its friends for granted. As your Ben Franklin said,"Gentlemen, We need to hang together, or most assuredly, we will hang separately".http://castboolits.gunloads.com/images/icons/icon7.png

[MaryB]

The thing you keep saying that Americans will NOT stand for "on my card" which means they have a record of every purchase you make.


Lets deal with firearms related death per 100,000. As of 2011 the total firearms related deaths in Canada per 100,00 was 2.38. In the USA on the other hand, this place of great safety due to the wide availability and open carry of handguns, the death rate per 100,000 was 10.30. That is a rate almost exactly 5 times, thats 500%, greater than Canada. Now if this poster is to be believed, he feels safer in the USA due to his good ol 1911, and yet he is 500% more likely to be a firearms related fatality there??? As Dr Spock in the starship Enterprise would say,"This does not compute"! In Canada in 2012 there were only 543 total homicides from all sources, not to speak only of firearms. This would not equal a good summer season in Chicago all by itself. So the previous poster, if he truly wishes to be safe needs to check his gun belt and crossed bandoliers at the border, and chill out up here in Canada. However he appears to fear the bear population here. Well now, lets look at those statistics. In all of North America, the US, Canada, and Mexico, in 2009 there were a total of 2 bear attack fatalities, in 2010 there were 3, in 2011 there were 4, in 2012 there was 1. During this time there were over 300,000 people killed on the highways. The previous poster is 1000 s of per cent more likely to be killed travelling to see our rather placid and peaceful bears ( considering their rather minuscule homicidal tendencies) than he is to actually encounter one of these beasts. I happen to live in Northern British Columbia in an area that one could say is over run with bears and I can tell you this. If the previous poster really thinks that a hand gun will protect him from a bear that is upset and actually charging, he is a fool. Unless he is really really lucky, his popgun, for that is what hand guns really are, will only serve to enrage that bear and turn what is most probably a show charge into a real one. At that point the previous poster will have a few seconds in which he will fill his drawers, before he becomes one of those tiny number of bear fatalities. This brings us to longarms. In Canada anyone who desires to possess a rifle or shotgun must attend and pass a safe gun handling course. At that point he can buy just about anything, with no waiting period or record check I might add. Its just in the door, show your card, slap down your money and out you go. You must have safe storage at home but thats about it. There is no ammo shortage, by and large, here as well. Again, its in the door show your card and out you go. I happen to own handguns. I needed a special handling course for that but now I have an endorsement on my card. I can walk into my LGS here, which has a large assortment of hand guns, and buy whatever I want. The only requirement that will speed the process is that I must belong to a gun club with a range. My card states that I can carry my handguns to any range in Western Canada at any time. I think that the previous poster needs to do several things: First he needs to ask himself if the easy availability of hand guns in the US is protecting him from crime or adding to the likelihood that he will experience it. Then he needs to read up on the far greater chance that he will be a traffic fatality than he will ever be the victim of a bear attack. Then he will need to examine whether he needs to carry a shotgun preferably loaded with 00 buck rather than his puny 1911 if he continues to be nervous of those big bad bears, and finally he needs to read to real history rather than his regular fare of Louis L'amour Westerns and cease to be one of those thoroughly objectionable, rah, rah, we're so great Americans.

[MaryB]

Remove several large democrap ran cities and the gun death rate in the USA would match or be lower than Canada's. Chicago, Detroit, Washington DC, New York, Los Angeles... get out into common sense conservative land and people grew up handling guns so we do not point them at a person unless we intend to put a fatal hole in them!

[BCboy]

The thing you keep saying that Americans will NOT stand for "on my card" which means they have a record of every purchase you make.
You mistake me. My card refers to my firearms training certificate. You only show this to the clerk. It stays in your possession , he has no record of it. However I have stood in a Gun Store in Kalispell Montana and watched how a prospective firearms purchaser has his name phoned in to the police for a record check before he is allowed to purchase a weapon. We up here do not have to undergo that check. I might add that it would be a very simple thing for your authorities to get the manufacturers invoice of weapons shipped to that store for that period to very rapidly narrow down the serial number of any weapon that you had purchased.:sad:

[BCboy]

Remove several large democrap ran cities and the gun death rate in the USA would match or be lower than Canada's. Chicago, Detroit, Washington DC, New York, Los Angeles... get out into common sense conservative land and people grew up handling guns so we do not point them at a person unless we intend to put a fatal hole in them!
Sadly you like us have a situation where the bulk of the population lives in the cities and thereby have the numbers to set gun policies. The "common sense conservative land" that you describe, down there as up here, is fast disappearing. It is a city versus countryside clash of culture that we both are fast losing

[NavyVet1959]

You mistake me. My card refers to my firearms training certificate. You only show this to the clerk. It stays in your possession , he has no record of it. However I have stood in a Gun Store in Kalispell Montana and watched how a prospective firearms purchaser has his name phoned in to the police for a record check before he is allowed to purchase a weapon. We up here do not have to undergo that check. I might add that it would be a very simple thing for your authorities to get the manufacturers invoice of weapons shipped to that store for that period to very rapidly narrow down the serial number of any weapon that you had purchased.:sad:

So, ya'll finally got rid of that "restricted" / "prohibited" firearm cr*p?

Our rights have been slowly eroded by the leftists for a long time. NFA34 and GCA68 were probably the most blatant erosions of our rights, but it was happened well before that. The NRA wasn't helping us back then since they didn't consider themselves to be an organization to uphold our constitutional rights. In fact, some of the things that the NRA did back then actually were detrimental to our 2nd Amendment rights.

[blackthorn]

Quote "So, ya'll finally got rid of that "restricted" / "prohibited" firearm cr*p?"

NO! We most certainly did not! What our Conservative Government did was to abolish ONLY the LONG GUN registry, except in Quebec (where they don't consider themselves Canadians anyway). In order to purchase (or own) ANY firearm here we must hold a Possession Acquisition Licence (PAL). Given my age, plus the fact that I already had a "prohibited" handgun prior to the implementation of the old "total" registry of our firearms, my PAL allows me to purchase/own any class of firearm. Not so for my sons. So far they have lost the freedom to own what the law says are "prohibited" firearms and there is a cut-off date of manufacture on the prohibited guns I can pass on to them when I die. WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO to even get back to where we were before the ------Liberals passed that stupid two billion plus boondoggle legislation! The only thing that MAY be better than US is the fact (as was mentioned earlier in this thread) is that our gun laws are country wide. That fact does however preclude the sane parts of the country from isolating the idiots that keep on electing Liberals (or facsimile)! While there are many things I admire with respect to the US, the denigration of my country, especially with respect to the brave men and women that gave their lives in both world wars, and other conflicts is bloody well insulting! My Dad was in the first and my Uncle was in the second. Fortunately, both came home in one piece.

[NavyVet1959]

While there are many things I admire with respect to the US, the denigration of my country, especially with respect to the brave men and women that gave their lives in both world wars, and other conflicts is bloody well insulting! My Dad was in the first and my Uncle was in the second. Fortunately, both came home in one piece.

Just don't mistake the friendly razzing of each other with actual attacks on the other culture. Sure, we like to say that your beer tastes like moose piss, but we will freely admit that most major US brews taste like horse piss. :)

OK, that's not quite accurate...

Budweiser = Clydesdale piss
Budweiser Lite = watered down Clydesdale piss
Coors = Rocky Mountain Sheep piss
Lone Star = Longhorn cow piss
Shiner Bock = Aged Longhorn piss
Jax = gator piss
Molson = Moose piss
Labatt = Beaver piss
Miller = Holstein cow piss

[Springfield]

My take on it is, as an ex LEO(Deputy Sheriff), that many of the people killed by handguns were drugs abusers/dealers shooting each other. Maybe my perception is skewed as my County included Oakland, a drug dealer hotbed. At any rate, even if strict gun laws would drop the overall deaths, which I doubt, I am not willing to lose the chance of defending my family to find out. In other words, I would rather live in a world with 3 deaths/100 and be able to protect my family to the best of my ability than live in a world with 2 deaths/100 but be defenseless. That's just the way I was raised, as were many other Americans. Most of the rest of the world doesn't understand that mindset. We believe in taking our chances and not letting a nanny state take care of us, even if we would maybe be safer. A good analogy would be house cats. The vet keeps telling me my 5 cats would be safer and live longer if I never let them go outside. And maybe they would. But have you noticed that many house cats sit in the window and look outside quite a bit. Ya know why? They want to go outside they they were intended to be. Not safer, but as least they get to live like cats and not some sort of sculpture.
As for foreign wars we have been in, we know we didn't win them all by ourselves. But ya gotta admit, we were probably what tipped the scales in our sides favor. Just like football quarterbacks get so much of the credit, they certainly didn't win the game all by themselves.

[leadman]

There was an interesting program on last night "Apocalypse WWI". I found disturbing the fact that the officers would repeatedly sent troops "over the wall" into the direct fire of the Germans. In one battle over 300,000 Brits, which included the Canadian troops were lost.

I am getting to the point that I do not like to travel outside of Arizona. I do not get on airplanes now as I prefer to drive rather than submit to the apes at the gates.
Here in Az we can still do FTF sales with individuals with no paperwork and no questions asked. As Springfield that bulk of the gun deaths are from certain criminal elements. I do try to avoid contact with these folks but they do have vehicles and their range is spreading.
I would like to drive to Alaska someday but unless the border rules change don't think that will happen.

[thxmrgarand]

Mr. leadman,

You can drive to Alaska without going through Canada. The highly petroleum-subsidized Alaska Marine Highway comes to Alaska from Bellingham, Washington every week. You need not set foot on Canadian soil after leaving US soil in Bellingham. The cost is minimal if you don't bring a vehicle, and a bicycle can be a reasonable and inexpensive alternative for some people if you're going no further north than Skagway. The food is great and reasonably priced. The cabins are clean, and you need not rent one if you want to rough it. There are showers for free for those who choose not to rent a cabin. It takes about 5 days to travel the so-called Inside Passage, and the scenery is quite good. You see lots of the Canuck coast but see none of their officials.

I haven't made this particular trip in several years so rules may have changed for boarding as a walk-on in Bellingham. When bringing a vehicle the vehicles are not searched, and the only concerns relate to propane and animals so far as I know. Using the ferry for in-state transportation I haven't looked into the firearms rules and no one has ever asked me if I have firearms with me. I have sometimes brought buckets of brass and sat in ferry viewing decks depriming, belling case mouths, etc. Tourists sometimes ask what I am doing with the brass but no ferry worker has ever commented. I use the Marine Highway whenever possible in order to avoid the TSA.

I recommend the Alaska Marine Highway. It must be a good deal for passengers as the state has to kick in $150 million each year to keep it going.

[NavyVet1959]

I would like to drive to Alaska someday but unless the border rules change don't think that will happen.

You just need to avoid the portion of the drive that goes through Canada.

[starmac]

You just need to avoid the portion of the drive that goes through Canada.

How would a guy drive to Ak and avoid that small 2000 mile portion?

[MaryB]

Schells Beer aka Deer piss New Ulm MN....


Just don't mistake the friendly razzing of each other with actual attacks on the other culture. Sure, we like to say that your beer tastes like moose piss, but we will freely admit that most major US brews taste like horse piss. :)

OK, that's not quite accurate...

Budweiser = Clydesdale piss
Budweiser Lite = watered down Clydesdale piss
Coors = Rocky Mountain Sheep piss
Lone Star = Longhorn cow piss
Shiner Bock = Aged Longhorn piss
Jax = gator piss
Molson = Moose piss
Labatt = Beaver piss
Miller = Holstein cow piss

[NavyVet1959]

How would a guy drive to Ak and avoid that small 2000 mile portion?

You have to take the shortcut (http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs)...

[Buck Neck It]

Homeland Security ran a sniffer dog around my truck the last time I went through the Bellingham AK ferry terminal. I will study the rules before I try to bring home a supply of primers and powder.

Ferry personnel used to require you to give them your firearms to lock up in the paint locker. People did not like this! Now you just have to keep them locked in your vehicle.