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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCanada takes guns from & expels Texans who crossed Maine border
https://goingcoastal.bangordailynews.com/2016/08/24/politics/canada-takes-guns-from-expels-texans-who-crossed-maine-border/Two Texas tourists found out the hard way earlier this month that while it may be easy and innocuous to bring your firearms with you on a road trip halfway across the continent to Maine, it gets more complicated if you try to go just a little further north.
Thats especially true if you neglect to tell Canadian border officials that youre packing heat under your seat.
According reports from Canadian broadcaster CTV and The Toronto Star, the two men were traveling separately and attempted to cross the border between Calais and St. Stephen on consecutive days.
On Saturday, Aug. 13, a Murphy, Texas resident and his wife initially told Canada Border Services agents in St. Stephen that they had no firearms, according to the Canadian news reports. But a subsequent inspection of their camper trailer revealed a Bersa Thunder .380 handgun along with loose rounds in a Ziploc bag, a Smith and Wesson .38 Special, and a Rossi .357 Magnum. Border agents also found a 12-gauge shotgun and pepper spray, which is banned in Canada.
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dumbasses
yup
tonyt53
(5,737 posts)TheMastersNemesis
(10,602 posts)jpak
(41,742 posts)hee hee
MineralMan
(146,192 posts)seized by the Canadians. Nicely done, eh?
Expensive trip for the boys from Texas.
Aristus
(66,096 posts)Ah'm goin'...No! See? Ah'm cooperatin'!..."
LWolf
(46,179 posts)We welcome our U.S. neighbors in Canada, they added. To make your journey more pleasant, travel light and always remember to declare all goods with you.
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)Let's say I am on a road trip and packing a gun. Then, I decide to pop into Canada for a day or two. If you tell them what's up, can the Canadian authorities hold on to it and return it to you when you leave? I just ask because the American interstates aren't the safest places in the world.
yortsed snacilbuper
(7,939 posts)just curious?
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)I don't own any, though. It was just a thought that crossed my mind.
yortsed snacilbuper
(7,939 posts)it's safer.
yortsed snacilbuper
(7,939 posts)what if you miss the bad guy and hit an innocent bystander.
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)as I do not own any. As I was saying, it was just a thought that crossed my mind. That being said, I have had to make pit stops in some pretty shady areas in redneck country. You never know when you are going to stumble on a meth head, and the cops are 15 minutes away. I could see why some would carry. At 48, I don't plan on any more long road trips- with flying the misery is much shorter.
dflprincess
(28,057 posts)Sure, some of the drivers are scary, but I don't see how a gun will help that.
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)from DFW to North Carolina. Some of the places we stopped were pretty weird (in a red neck sense). One sister is a cop, so I really didn't have too much worry. When you get out in the boonies, you never know when you are going to stumble on a meth head. Were I to do it again I would fly- 24 hours in a vehicle will drive one batty.
sarisataka
(18,220 posts)If it is a rifle or shotgun, simply declare it, fill out some paperwork and generally you will be approved at the border. Handguns are more restricted. You need to obtain a permit in advance. You will be turned away at the border without said permit in hand.
In either case, declaring the firearms will not cause any further problem beyond being told you cannot cross the border.
Failing to declare the firearms opens a whole can of worms. The guys in the OP got off rather lightly.
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)I will never have to do so, as I don't see myself ever buying a gun. I have never really felt the need for one, and $600 buys a lot of cigars. Plus, if I ever return to visit Canada I will fly. DFW to Montreal is too much of a drive for me
IVoteDFL
(417 posts)I carry one with me at all times as I'm often walking home from work after dark alone. Always thought it was a fairly harmless defense system... At least opposed to a gun or a Taser.