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quote -- feel so sad for Canadians, because they are such great people, friendly, easy to talk with (West coast only, I haven't been to the East coast) and they seem to be the kind of people I'd like to live around.--end

I've met and worked with many Cauadians from the prairie and down east provinces.... seems the further east you go, the more friendly and caring they are. Except for many from around Quebec.... about the half of them are an arrogant lot, none to pleasant to be with. The other half are about the equal of the BC lot. Great folk.
 
right,, it WOULD be some strain to get it together. BC's overall economy is likely healthier than ours, but so much of that place (hey, the entire country) is steeped in a socialistic mindset they'd likely infest US with more bad ideas than we've already got. They DO, as a general rule, mind their debts, though, and have not gone on a spending holiday as we've done the past generation. Public empolyees and most union workers at large outfits have a terrible work ethic.... clock forty, fifty hours each week, but actually work maybe twenty. Most professional sandbaggers and dogwalkers about. SO-- we'd have to get tough about what can continue, and what needs to go. Oh wait, if we'd do that here, we wouldn't want to unite with them.

Now, if we could entice them to join the Union of States we're in, that would open up the borders, but they could continue with state-level decisions, doing things the way they are now. Oh wait, there'd be a truckload of regulations, restrictions, requirements, protocols, limitations, they'd have to abide by once they join the Union........ never mind, they'd probably not be up for it.
 
Just went though the border last week, just before the olympics started up. They asked if I had any weapons (I don't consider a knife a weapon anymore than a spoon so I said no). A few other standard border questions and then I was sent over to have my vehicle searched. They gave me a piece of paper that the guy had written on as notes to the officerss inside, "01,07" which must be code for something...one of them I beleive is code for prior arrest, and the other possibly indicating the purchase of registered firearms(?) as I bought my first "on the books" firearm at a show the week prior. The didn't question me about guns though, and obviously had no problem with the knife in the truck. They will also read your text messages, they took mine telling me my phone wasn't allowed in the waiting area and when I got it back, text conversations were up that I hadn't had open prior... This also happened to me last month when I went to a concert up there, so lock your cell phones before you go through!
 
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Two things on this.... part of this is payback for years of we yanks being so easy to get along with.... NOTTTT!!!!! So many Canadians abused and maltreated as they've tried to get into our fair land. They've recently toughtened up their rules about crossing. And we have asked for much of it.. I believe it was we who moved toward making it tougher for US citizens to return to the US... all manner of "slick systems", er, scuse me, SICK systems, to make it easier for our US snoops to mind who is crossing. First with yachts, then air, then ferries, and now cars and pedestrians. Used to be, any US ID would clear the way back. Now passport is requruired in nearly every instance, or soon will be.


The other, if WE would take care at our own borders (read: Mexico) the chance of truly nefarious sorts getting into OUR country would be greatly reduced, and thus on into Canada would be as well. If WE will let anyone through from the south (and even on commercial airliners... as in, the underpants bomber boarding a US airliner in Amsterdam with NO PASSPORT, no checked luggage, not even a jacket, no cash, no travellers checks, no credit cards..... that guy could not have crossed the border into Canada, yet WE let him on a US air carrier's airplane.... he was also on several terrorist watch lists.), those same "anyones" can try and get into Canada. Seal our borders against riff raff, they wonn't come in, and thus can't try and enter Canada.

Those guys to the north of us ain't too dumb. Besides, they've go LOTS of time to sit about indoors and think, come winters.
 
Not much use for Canada for me. You should see what you have to do just to be able to sell products in that place. Their just as bad as China on getting our exports in but we let their tainted junk in by the load. Wouldnt hurt my feelings to just put up a fence and forget it.
 
FWIW, I travel to a lot of countries for work, and have been crossing between Seattle and Vancouver for nearly a decade, and I do think some of this is Olympic-related.

I also go back and forth to Beijing a lot, and saw as the Summer Games got closer that security measures across the board got more stringent. And the timing at the Canadian border seems consistent with the timing in China (updates to systems a few years out, increased presence a few months out and lots of trainees, more specific checks right before, etc.). BTW, I also saw a drop off in China after the Olympics were over.

Generally, the Canada and US officers act about the same to me. Canada only started asking about my permit in the last year or so, but I always tell them I have one, and yes, I own guns, and no, I didn't bring them with me. I've been searched a few times, but it's always a pretty quick search, and then I'm on my way.

Once, I even forgot to take out some hunting gear, specifically knives, and even though the found them during the search, they let it go. It was just an oversight on my part (the Jeep has an axe, machete, knives, and at least on gun in it most of the time), and this time I just forget I had it stashed in the door pocket. No big deal; they didn't hassle me for "lying" about having no weapons, and didn't confiscate anything.

My $0.02 is that, yeah, you get power mad pricks at any border, but I'll take crossing over into Canada any day over a few dozen other borders I've been too.
 
Ok, so to recap I go up to CA probably 10-15 times a year, never had any problems. I had an expired WA CPL from 2000, never had any questions other than the general "do you have any firearms, knives or other weapons?" We have never been pulled over for a search in either direction.

I just renewed my CPL in October, picked up a pistol "on the books" through a local shop in January so I have recreated all the alleged trigger events in this thread except for buying multiple weapons in a short period of time. We went up to Victoria for V-Day this weekend: no problems at the border. None, not a single different or unusual question going either direction.

"I'm John, and this is my report."
 
You lie to them and you are asking for trouble. If they know you are lying they are going to assume that you can not be trusted the same way that I don't trust someone who I catch in a lie to me.

We lived in Coeur D' Alene Idaho area for quite a few years and on our drives we would end up near the Canadian boarder fairly often. The wife always said we should go up into Canada some time. I told her that it would take me an hour to unload all the firearm stuff that could get me in trouble at the boarder and I would still probably miss a box of ammo or two. Not worth the trouble.
 
I got pulled over for inspection coming back into the states Tuesday. I answered the questions honestly but while inspecting my SUV one of the officers came in and said "439 I think", We were all seperated, there where four of us. They only spoke to me, asking if there was anything in the car I forgot to mention? I told them no. They showed me a mag in a evidence bag and I knew it was mine. It had a bad spring and I put it in the rear cargo pouch several month ago and forgot about it. Overall they were pretty good about it and accepted my story sort of. They went through our luggage, and searched (pat down) everyone that was in the car. An hour latter we were on our way with a poite explaination of what I did wrong. They did offer to dispose of the mag for me and gave me information on how to get it back if I wanted to. I told them to dispose of it, the darn thing gave me problems when shooting and now got me inches away from a cavity search....I never want to see that mag again! They thought that was funny.

Moral of the story, if your crossing the boarder go over your car with fine tooth comb. Your oversite may get you an extended stay at the border and another hour and a half saying your sorry, I'm a dumb azz to your friends/family the rest of the drive home.
 
A few months ago me and my lady friend crossed the border into Canada on foot at Niagra Falls. My lady friend went first and he asked the usual,,, purpose of the visit, home state, etc. When it was my turn he asked the same questions and then asked if I had any firearms on me. I answered, No Sir, not on me, and he waived us thru. I commented to my lady friend about how he didn't ask her if she was carrying. I thought that was a little strange. I guess it's ok for women to pack? BTW, we both used passports. On the way back thru US Customs they didn't ask about weapons at all.
 
They only spoke to me, asking if there was anything in the car I forgot to mention? I told them no. They showed me a mag in a evidence bag and I knew it was mine. It had a bad spring and I put it in the rear cargo pouch several month ago and forgot about it. Overall they were pretty good about it and accepted my story sort of. They went through our luggage, and searched (pat down) everyone that was in the car. An hour latter we were on our way with a poite explaination of what I did wrong.



so, do I understand this correctly, that there is something illegal about having an empty magazine on your person here in the US? If so, I'd certainly like to know what statute this violates. ANyone? Are guns so evil no one can even have a piece that came from one with them? What is going on here? I've never heard such nonsense. What good is an empty magazine for anyone? With no ammunition to PUT in it, and no firearm to then put it INTO, what difference does it make?
 
I can't answer for the Customs, but after a weekend of shooting and a gun show in Yuma I tried to get on a plane. The TSA found 200 empty .45 ACP hulls and a 10 round magazine for a 1911 that I'd bought at the wonderful gunshow. I was told they had to confiscate the magazine as it was a 'Gun part'.
Fortunately my Yuma host was standing there and they graciously let him take the magazine to send to me later. The guy was a bit upset though, like maybe it was a test or something.
 
They only spoke to me, asking if there was anything in the car I forgot to mention? I told them no. They showed me a mag in a evidence bag and I knew it was mine. It had a bad spring and I put it in the rear cargo pouch several month ago and forgot about it. Overall they were pretty good about it and accepted my story sort of. They went through our luggage, and searched (pat down) everyone that was in the car. An hour latter we were on our way with a poite explaination of what I did wrong.



so, do I understand this correctly, that there is something illegal about having an empty magazine on your person here in the US? If so, I'd certainly like to know what statute this violates. ANyone? Are guns so evil no one can even have a piece that came from one with them? What is going on here? I've never heard such nonsense. What good is an empty magazine for anyone? With no ammunition to PUT in it, and no firearm to then put it INTO, what difference does it make?

As it was explained to me it is a gun part that I was bringing into the US with out declairing it. I think the larger issue was since I didn't tell tham about it they expected to find the rest of the pistol hidden in our luggage or somewhere. I did find it odd that they offered to provide information on how to reclaim the mag and not just handing it back to me.
 
For folks interested in further reading on many of the subjects brought up in this discussion:

"Canada's Gun Laws for Americans" - <broken link removed>

Canadian Government Firearms site - http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/

National Firearms Association "Canada's Most Effective Firearms Owners Association - http://www.nfa.ca

Canadian Gun Nutz, A Canada site fairly similar to NWFA - http://www.canadiangunnutz.com

Canada Carry, Canadians organized to improve their countries self-defense laws - http://www.canadacarry.org
 
So it looks as though the "mortal sin" may well be failure to declare such evil and nefariouus bits as "gun parts" when either crossing the international boundary back into the US, or boarding an airliner for an in-country flight here. Both recent reports got someone in trouble for a magazine, unloaded.

I know, absulutely, that it is fully legal to carry firearms, and (of course....) parts for them, when declared at time of checkin. If I have a pistol, and it is properly packed and secured (pper Federal regulations and TSA scripts), as long as I declare it at checkin, there is no problem. It MUST go into checked luggage, though. Perhaps the problem mentioned above was for carry-on?

But the magazine inside the car...... since that was brought into Canada, albeit not declared and possibly )questionably so) illegally, US border patrol should not have an issue with it coming back into the US. I still don't get it.

the list of Canadian sites above does not address US laws as to what can cross our border into our own country. I cannot understand why there was a problem with it. Gun part? So what? Not a firearm, and thus not regulated. Ammunition, yes, that IS regulated by BATF. Rofle scopes, magazines, wooden stocks, iron sights, straps/slings... none of those can hurt anyone, none are regulated by BATF, so what is the problem? Do I have to declare my belt, or suspenders? How about my camera strap? A Bic lighter? An empty magazine is about as harmless, and regulated, as any of the above. How stupid ARE these people...... I'd have raised a fuss. What, is he going to prevent me, a US citizen with ID, from reentering my own country? I would want to see, chapter and verse, precisely the grounds for detaining me and/or my property. Never heard of such nonsense.

its back to "guns are evil, along with everything and anything having to do with them" nonsense.
 
tionico.....the Batfe (or ATF) are not customs and immigration(I can't call them by their "cool: name)and are charged with different responsibilities... I think that importation of "undeclared" firearms parts is probable cause for further investigation....The poster admitted his mistake and no charges were filed...

Crossing an International border is more serious business than flying on a plane...Regardless of how many US citizens view Canada, they're a sovereign nation...And returning to the border is no guarantee that one may bring whatever they want back across...

I'll take a little ( and I do mean a little) control over my comings and goings if I don't have to live here (in the US) like folks do elsewhere...Unarmed and unable to defend my family..
 

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