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Hi guys, just joined the forum and love it!
Anyways, this thread is kind of a spin off of the one regarding bringing your gun onto a cruise ship, then into Mexico.
As my name implies, I work for Canada Customs in Niagara Falls. This is more of an informative thread than anything else. Basically, I'm sick of arresting cops!!!! If you are coming to Canada and you have a gun in your car, any type of gun, please tell us about it. We hold them, free of charge, until you leave the country.
I don't know why people, especially cops, find it necessary to lie about having a gun in their vehicle when we ask about it. You guys know better than anyone, I don't WANT to arrest/throw people in jail, I do it because the person makes me. I've seen too many cops/military/corrections officers arrested for this reason.
Just because you are a cop, or have a concealed weapon permit or whatever doesn't give you the right to lie about having your gun or to carry it in Canada. Our laws concerning firearms are soo much stricter than they are in the US. We ask if you have a gun in the vehicle because it's really not a big deal, as long as you tell us about it. It becomes a big deal when you lie, and we find it while searching your car.
Here's how things work while crossing the border for those of you who don't know:
1- You pull up to the booth with either a passport, or a birth certificate and photo ID for every occupant of the vehicle ready. (Yes, even children, they're people to!!)
2- Answer any and all questions that you are asked.
3- Depending on your answers to the questions the officer then decides to "Release or Refer". Once they make their decision, it's called the Point of Finality. The choice is made and that is what is going to happen. Either you are going up the road or you are getting searched.
4- You either a) go up the road or b) get searched/speak with Immigration.
4b) - You pull into Secondary, where we search your car. Now, let’s say you have a gun in your car that you didn't tell the officer in the booth about. As you’re driving into Secondary you realize, "Oh ****, I might get in trouble if they search my car and find my gun!!", so when an officer comes out to your vehicle you spontaneously tell them about your gun. TOO BAD, it's too late now, you’re in ****! Whether we formally charge you or not is a bit of a toss up because you did at least tell us you had the gun and didn't make us work for it. At the very least, however, the gun will be seized and you'll have to pay anywhere from $200-? to get your vehicle back. Then you get sent back to the US and your vacation is ruined.
Bottoms line, just tell us, please!!!!
Sorry for taking soo long but someone had to get the word out. I'm tired of arresting good people because they didn't know any better.
Thanks for reading all that,
Chris
P.S.-It only takes like 2 min. for us to do the form for holding your firearm so don't use that as an excuse.
Anyways, this thread is kind of a spin off of the one regarding bringing your gun onto a cruise ship, then into Mexico.
As my name implies, I work for Canada Customs in Niagara Falls. This is more of an informative thread than anything else. Basically, I'm sick of arresting cops!!!! If you are coming to Canada and you have a gun in your car, any type of gun, please tell us about it. We hold them, free of charge, until you leave the country.
I don't know why people, especially cops, find it necessary to lie about having a gun in their vehicle when we ask about it. You guys know better than anyone, I don't WANT to arrest/throw people in jail, I do it because the person makes me. I've seen too many cops/military/corrections officers arrested for this reason.
Just because you are a cop, or have a concealed weapon permit or whatever doesn't give you the right to lie about having your gun or to carry it in Canada. Our laws concerning firearms are soo much stricter than they are in the US. We ask if you have a gun in the vehicle because it's really not a big deal, as long as you tell us about it. It becomes a big deal when you lie, and we find it while searching your car.
Here's how things work while crossing the border for those of you who don't know:
1- You pull up to the booth with either a passport, or a birth certificate and photo ID for every occupant of the vehicle ready. (Yes, even children, they're people to!!)
2- Answer any and all questions that you are asked.
3- Depending on your answers to the questions the officer then decides to "Release or Refer". Once they make their decision, it's called the Point of Finality. The choice is made and that is what is going to happen. Either you are going up the road or you are getting searched.
4- You either a) go up the road or b) get searched/speak with Immigration.
4b) - You pull into Secondary, where we search your car. Now, let’s say you have a gun in your car that you didn't tell the officer in the booth about. As you’re driving into Secondary you realize, "Oh ****, I might get in trouble if they search my car and find my gun!!", so when an officer comes out to your vehicle you spontaneously tell them about your gun. TOO BAD, it's too late now, you’re in ****! Whether we formally charge you or not is a bit of a toss up because you did at least tell us you had the gun and didn't make us work for it. At the very least, however, the gun will be seized and you'll have to pay anywhere from $200-? to get your vehicle back. Then you get sent back to the US and your vacation is ruined.
Bottoms line, just tell us, please!!!!
Sorry for taking soo long but someone had to get the word out. I'm tired of arresting good people because they didn't know any better.
Thanks for reading all that,
Chris
P.S.-It only takes like 2 min. for us to do the form for holding your firearm so don't use that as an excuse.
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