By Charlotte Morritt-Jacobs - (@morrittjacobs on Twitter)

Alberta Border Security Dealing With More Undeclared Guns

Aug 23, 2016 | 5:20 PM

ALBERTA – More Americans are visiting their northern neighbours without declaring their guns.

Canada Border Services Agency (CSBA), Prairie Region has reported a spike in the number of U.S. travelers attempting to drive into Canada without declaring their guns.

The Prairie Region has seen a 10 per-cent increase in the number of firearms seized in southern Alberta, from January 1, 2016 to July 31, 2016, compared to the same period last year.

Officers at Coutts have already seized 20 undeclared handguns this year, the majority from U.S. visitors to Canada.

Nat Collins, Border Services Officer at the Coutts crossing, said that many of those individuals failing to declare their firearms are headed to Alaska or set to visit a Canadian National Park.

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“A lot of the travelers are carrying handguns for personal protection and come from U.S. states where they are able to carry their guns anywhere they go for personal protection. Many of these people are surprised and sometimes do not realize how much stricter Canada’s gun laws are.”

When travelers arrive at a port of entry, at the primary inspection line booth, they are given the first opportunity to declare any weapons in their possession.

While the border service officer may immediately take passion of a pistol, declared guns will not be seized. The traveler has the option of shipping the gun back to a U.S. address or abandoning the gun to the Crown.
All undeclared non-restricted guns seized at the border are returned to the traveler after they have paid a fine and all undeclared restricted guns are forwarded to the RCMP where they are then destroyed.

The punishment for not declaring guns ranges from fines to weapon bans to possible jail time.

Travelers require a very specific purpose to bring a gun to their northern neighbours and must fill out a non-resident firearm declaration, which serves as a temporary gun license during their stay.

Collins told reporters that Coutts border has experienced its share of sophisticated gun hides.

“We have caught people who have scattered parts of their firearm all over the vehicle and we have caught individuals who have hid guns in paneling. We also have found guns right out in the open and right on the individual, in a belt or hidden in a boot.”

Border services have mechanics on-hand to pull apart vehicles if need be.

In an effort to reduce search times and improve inspection efficiency, more border crossings are turning to K9 units.
Kyle Reindl, Border Service Officer, Detector Dog Handler at Coutts, crossing said that his working companion, Comet, a black lab out performs all human officers.

“Ever since she was puppy she was trained to break down odours, so dogs always win. We trust our dogs because they are at such a high level of training and perform their training every day in a live environment.”

While, Reindl strictly focuses on his Comet’s cues, Border Officers monitor how travelers react to having their vehicles searched by the K9-Unit and use those observations in their inferences.

For information on transportation of guns into Canada from the U.S.