Taking a gun into Canada

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I'm in the process of planning a road trip to visit my son in Alaska. I know that I can't take my pistol into Canada but I want to take a 12 gauge H&R with me.

I may also take my Springfield M6 with me.

Has anyone crossed the border with a shotgun? How difficult is it?

I've looked at the RCMP web pages and it doesn't look terribly tough.

Any info will be appreciated.

R
 
I know that Americans do it all the time up North, I don't have any details for you, but it is a very common thing.
You might want to call the border where you will be crossing.
Good luck
 
We (the family and I) drove to Alaska in 1992 on the way to my new duty station in Fort Richardson (Anchorage). I transported a large number of long arms with us (though many more guns went through my "whole baggage" along with household goods). There were restrictions and requirements as to what could (and could not) be transported and how it needed to be transported.

My suggestion would be to contact the Canadian Customs office, preferably the office(s) through provinces and territories your planned route will be. I'd also suggest you give yourself plenty of leeway in timing as well. There are likely to be forms necessary to be completed (and/or verified) prior to arriving at your entry point.

As well check on "ammunition requirements/allowances" if you plan on carrying any with you during the drive. Ammunition is (or at least use to be) plentiful and usually fairly comparatively priced in Alaska in the major cities/towns for the trip.

P.S. The requirements weren't "hard to meet" by any means; but you do need to be aware of what they are and must prep properly if you want to avoid the potential for problems and/or expenses!
 
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You might just consider having your guns shipped dealer to dealer and pick them up in Alaska to avoid trying to take them through Canada. I've heard a lot of horror stories from people on going through the Canadian border.
 
I lived in Canada and crossed the border regularly from Montana. The border guards can be real jerks (on both sides).........never have figured out why they seem to WANT to just mess with you sometimes......almost like they are there to show you that they can. anyway, heard lots and lots of gun and ammo horror stories......
 
dwightp said:
I lived in Canada and crossed the border regularly from Montana. The border guards can be real jerks (on both sides).........never have figured out why they seem to WANT to just mess with you sometimes......almost like they are there to show you that they can. anyway, heard lots and lots of gun and ammo horror stories......
Click to expand...

This is true- and there is no recourse. Border guards have god-like power over you and there's nothing you can do. Even my DH's parents on a trip in their motor home (DH's dad is 83, mom is 66) had their motor home tossed by the border guards recently. Made a big mess, and no apologies for it.
 
Fill out the form and pay the fee (it's $50 now). The first thing they ask you is if you have drugs, alcohol, or firearms. Sometimes if you are unlucky, they will search your car (dumping stuff out of your bags and expect you to clean it up) and grope you to "make sure you're not carrying a handgun".

Have you thought about taking a ferry from Washington? I haven't looked into it but it might be another option.
 
There is a form you can pre-file (if you have time) and pay their registration fee... at the border, they will just check the SN... no issues or difficulties... just another tax.. ;)
 
Might want to peel any NRA or other gun-related decals off your windows or gear, too. Even though I swore that I had no firearms in the vehicle, they tore us apart crossing over into Montana one time. I had an NRA decal on a box in the van that they could see from the outside......along with a Boy Scouts of America decal. Even though I assured them I was not smuggling guns OR boy scouts, they unloaded everything in the van. Took us about two hours to do it all and get back into the U.S.
 
Thanks for all the info. I am trying to get all the logistics down for this trip.

It is a long shot that I'll get it all done but I'm going to give it my best.

I will probably go with an H&R 12 Gauge. If it is confiscated... it shouldn't be but if it is, I won't take a big hit financially.

I was playining around with my Remington 870 and it is a boat anchor compared to the H&R. I've spent some time on the range shooting the H&R like Clint Smith from Thunder Ranch does on youtube. It works. I shoot with a round or two between the fingers of my support hand.

I found the links to the form on the web and will have them ready to go.
 
I've driven up and back to Alaska 3 times (6 border crossings) and had little to no trouble. In BC they want them to be cased and unloaded, in the Yukon, they didn't even have to be unloaded. They asked how many, what they were, and a couple times asked to see them, which I just opened the zipper cases, halfway, the guy looked and said "OK", then told me to have a nice trip. Can't take any hollow point ammo, even 22's, other than that, no big deal (I had a couple boxes of hollow point 22's, not knowing they were a no-no, they took them and gave me a reciept for them). I wouldn't want to drive all that way thru Canada and camp without a gun. The Canadian border people were always polite and business like, if not downright friendly, when I went thru. Stop on the US side before leaving and get a "registration of items taken abroad" statement that proves you owned the guns before leaving the US. That will help when coming back into the States. When I went thru, they just wrote the info on a letterhead note and gave it to me to take. They ran the numbers to be sure they weren't stolen, but that's all they did other than hand me the piece of paper to take along. Doing the current paperwork for the Canadians before you get there, should save time when you make the border.

I've heard a few stories about the border, tho I wonder if some people had attitudes when they went. I'm sure not all do, but, some americans seem to think that US law should hold sway in any country they go to. The Canadains don't see it that way. Respect their laws, and they seem to appreciate it was how I felt when I went thru, and in dicussing it with the Canadian border people. Get a snotty attitude, and things can get unpleasant very quickly. They can out-attitude anyone they come across. It's their job.

If you do ship handguns, you don't have to ship to or from a dealer (or pay that cost), you can ship them UPS (NOT by MAIL!!!!) from yourself, to yourself in care of someone up there, assuming you know someone, and the same coming back, BUT the law specifies that the receiving person that it's in care of CANNOT open the package. when I went thru Canadian customs, they asked if I OWNED any handguns, then asked where they were. I pulled out my shipping receipts and showed them, they were happy.

I don't think it's any big deal going into canada with guns. I've done it several times, and wouldnt consider going without taking guns.

I had all my pertinant papers in a folder under the seat, dog vaccinations, gun shipping receipts, US proof of insurance going to Canada, vehicle registration etc. I think 5-10 minutes was the average time to cross.
 
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It wasn't going into Canada where I had the problem, it was getting back into the U.S. and I didn't even have a firearm on board......just the decal was enough to create suspicion:15:
 
Thanks Malamute! I've traveled all over Europe and never had a problem. I have the form downloaded and will have it typed up and ready to go. I agree that a gun is worth the work to have, especially when camping.

I am hoping to have a truck top tent that will provide some protection from animals both the 4 and 2 legged versions.

I will keep tabs on this thread and look forward to more helpful information.

Thanks,

Rick
 
One note, WHATEVER you do, DO NOT say you want a gun for protection from people!!!!!!!! That is NOT a valid reason to have a gun in Canada. Protection from wild animals is.


...And since your son is in Alaska, you can legaly ship a handgun from yourself to yourself in care of him for your use when you get there. It's an exception to the usual shipping requirements, just exactly for such situations. You can read it on the ATF website.

Question number nine,

http://www.atf.gov/firearms/faq/unlicensed-persons.html
 
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I have made 5 trips now into Canada now 3 with guns, just get the Non-Resident Firearms Declaration documents from the net and follow the directions. On the last 2 occasions they did check the guns, they pulled them out and checked #'s. And I was an Police Chief here in Indiana at the time. They did not care a bit and pulled each out of the case and inspected it. These 2 trips were for fall bear in Ontario. I never felt hassled or put out by the experience at the border. but they were checked. The first time was in 1984 and all they were concerned with was if we had bear bait the did not give a hoot about firearms. We did not have any documents at all. This was on a fishing trip and all we had was a H&R 12ga for a boat gun.
Just in case you were wondering I took a Pre-64 Model 70 in 270, the first time and a Marlin 45-70 guide gun the second time....
 
By the way on the first hunt,(this was in 1992) my father and I went to Temagami, Yep Les Strouds stomping grounds at Lake Herridge Lodge just south of town. Some of the most remote wilderness I have ever seen they had us drive 10 miles of "logging road" back to the hunting stands. Incredible wilderness area. This is the place I had a bear hunting guide run past me in the dark screaming "DON'T PANIC" on his way back to the truck but that's another story.
 
Thanks again!

This will get my Springfield EMP up to Alaska for me without having to pay a dealer to transfer! On a trip like this... every penny will count.

Malamute said:
One note, WHATEVER you do, DO NOT say you want a gun for protection from people!!!!!!!! That is NOT a valid reason to have a gun in Canada. Protection from wild animals is.


...And since your son is in Alaska, you can legaly ship a handgun from yourself to yourself in care of him for your use when you get there. It's an exception to the usual shipping requirements, just exactly for such situations. You can read it on the ATF website.

Question number nine,

http://www.atf.gov/firearms/faq/unlicensed-persons.html
Click to expand...
 
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