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Canada’s Border Services agency has a warning for American visitors, leave your guns at home. The agency says there has been a spike in the number of tourists who are simply unaware of Canada’s gun laws.
791 guns were taken from visitors coming into southern Ontario over the last 5 years. The border services agency says most firearms taken at land border crossings are from U.S. travellers entering Canada. Gun laws vary from state to state, some require permits and licences, while others don’t.
Unlike the U.S., visitors cannot carry a gun for personal safety reasons in Canada. There are very, very limited circumstances when a firearm is permitted into the country. Those include guns being used for hunting, in competitions, or brought in for repairs.
CBSA officers took 74 guns from visitors at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls last year. That’s almost double the amount of guns seized in 2011. The agency believes the rise in confiscated guns could be linked to the jump in American visitors.
The borders services agency says if Americans bring a firearm over they must declare it. If the gun is not allowed into the country tourists have two options. Turn back or abandon your gun to Canadian authorities. Visitors who fail to declare guns could face criminal charges and be barred from entering Canada in the future.
