Border Crossing to Canada

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CW3-RET

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My wife is Canadian therefore we go to Canada a couple of times a year and cross at Niagara Falls. Being retired military we have military stickers on our car. We had two short conversations with the Canadian Border guards that we thought were rather funny.

First time:

Where are you from?
Where are you going?
How long will you be there?

Do you have any personal protection? At this question my wife and I stopped and looked at each other and were quite puzzled as to why a Border Guard would be asking if we had condoms. Then we both realized at the same time that the guard was asking if we had a gun for personal protection. We both smiled and said we did not have any guns or condoms with us. And followed with the statement that we kinda thought we could buy condoms in Canada if we had a need for them. The guard was puzzled about the follow-on statement and then realized what she had asked.

Second time:

Where are you from?
Where are you going?
How long will you be there?

Do you own any guns? I quickly answered without thinking “of course”. The Border Guard then said that I could not bring them into Canada, but that they could hold them there and I could pick them up on the way out. I looked at the guard and said “you asked if I owned any guns, and I answered of course. You did not ask if I had any with me. All of my guns are at home in Virginia and are happily tucked away in their safe.” The guard then went on to tell us that it was against the law to bring guns into Canada and that we could leave them with her to hold until we departed. It took almost 10 minutes to convince the guard that we had no guns with us and that they could search us and our car to confirm it. I had only answered the question honestly.

Boy, after the second incident my wife punched me in the arm and told me to always tell them “no” to that type of question. They keep changing the way that they ask about guns, but we keep waiting to be asked if we have personal protection again. Boy do we have an answer to that one. :D

Anybody else have a funny border crossing story?
 
Many years ago we took a trip to Toronto. Back then I was very heavy into photography and always keep a small 38 in my main camera bag. Not until we were going through Detroit did I remember that piece of equipment packed away in the trunk. Well, we get to the crossing and I guess my mother-in-law looked like a bad guy. The guard chose us to search. Went through all of our bags, the car, everything. Picked up my camera bag and asked "what's this"? I told her photo equipment and she put it back without ever opening. I'm pretty sure you could see the relief on my face. It was the only bag/suitcase she didn't open and search. At the return trip crossing, it was like "thanks for coming, have a good day".
 
Half my life ago (only 18 years ago) I traveled into Canada via Detroit's tunnel to Windsor with my then best friend. We were training heavily in martial arts and were heading off to Toronto for a freestyle martial arts tournament.

We didn't have any guns on us and I DO remember however that the border guard did not ask us if we had any personal protection on us. They did ask if we had any guns and we, being young and cocky, answered no but we've got swords and nunchucks! That led to a vehicle and luggage search.

In the trunk of my car was our martial arts gear - pads for sparring, our gis (uniforms) and our weapons - for doing forms. It was then that we learned that nunchucks were outright illegal in Canada and the guard had a fit about our swords too. What's really stupid was that eventually the guard confiscated our nunchucks - to be returned when we left again - and allowed us to travel through with our swords! I'd seriously think that a sword, able to cleave limbs off with a swing, was deadlier a weapon than a pair of nunchucks.

Well we went on to the tournament and returned home the same way - picked up our nunchucks and received a "Have a good day, come again!" as we drove off to cross the border.

I have yet to return to Canada since.
 
I actually just got back from Canada not long ago.

I've found it's best to not try to be cute with foreign officials who are a) just trying to do their job and b) don't really understand what it's like to live in a free country.

Also, not long before you visited there, they had just had a shooting at the mall in Toronto.

Just saying.
 
Also, not long before you visited there, they had just had a shooting at the mall in Toronto.
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Wait I thought all of those restrictive gun laws were supposed to prevent that sort of thing from happening? :rolleyes:
 
I have a female friend who is a border patrol officer in N. Dakota. She told me that terrorists are now going to Canada where it's easy to get in country, staying for a while then waltzing into the US from Canada like they own the place. Maybe the changes you see are as a result of that knowledge.

Flash
 
Brother lives in Mich. U.P. Due to work, travels into Can. via 'the Blue Water Bridge' on average 3-4 times a month for the last 20yrs.. He's done this long enough that he's gotten to know many of the Boarder patrol(going in and coming out) literally, on a first name bases.

Here about a month or two ago, he goes to Can. and there's a newbie on post.

Brother gets all the routine questions and answers them with no problems.
Apparently when you have a CPL for the U.S., when the Can. boarder patrol run your lic. plate number, the CPL info. is alerted to them.

This boarder patrol really started drilling brother about his job and if he(brother) felt his job warranted him having to carry a gun. Patrol also expressed his dissatisfaction with U.S. gun laws and the fact that U.S. citizens were allowed to have guns.

Brother politely told patrol that he had answered all the customary questions to enter Can., that he did not have a firearm and he didn't feel the need to debate U.S. versus Canadian gun laws to enter Canada. Too, brother told patrol that if there were any more questions concerning his CPL, he would like to discuss them with patrols 'officer in charge'.
Brother then asked patrol if he was going to permit him to enter Can. or not.

The patrol let him enter.

I have a female friend who is a border patrol officer in N. Dakota. She told me that terrorists are now going to Canada where it's easy to get in country, staying for a while then waltzing into the US from Canada like they own the place. Maybe the changes you see are as a result of that knowledge.
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Not saying there are not terrorist coming into the U.S. from Canada but they are not waltzing in here from Canada like they own the place.
Getting into Canada is a breeze. Getting from Canada into the U.S....not so much.
 
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I am going back 30 years, but I an 2 other guys had an "Incident" at the border. We were up fishing and my buddy took along his bow to mess around with. The other guy knew nothing about bows, guns or anything like that. We were on the Canadian side and he he asked something about having firearms and one guy said "yes" and the other "no" at the same time. It took us a long time to unpack and repack that camper. I learned my lesson.
 
You'll find that the attitude/seriousness of the border guards (both Canadian and American) is a fairly random thing.

As an example, my best friend and I went to Toronto. Got the three usual questions on the way in, and one extra on the way out.... Are you bringing anything back with you?" My buddy held up a paper bag full of stuff and said "Yep, this.". The guard said "Ok" and waved us on. What was the point of the question? There could have been anything from drugs to grenades in the bag! As it was, it was souvenirs from the CN Tower.

The next time, same thing on the way in but the American guard on the way back was a complete ass. It was like 3am and he made us wake up everybody in the car to have them individually tell him their nationality and if they were traveling with us on their own free-will!

I've been through many times besides and never had any other issues nor I have ever been asked about firearms.
 
I've been through several times before 9-11. I had guns, they didnt have a cow at all, just asked if any were semi-auto, or if I owned any handguns. I said yes, they asked where they were, I showed them the shipping receipts from sending them to myself in care of a friend in Alaska. They were fine, other than once, a guy asked to see my guns, I opened each case, he looked at each, and said OK. They asked if they were unloaded (though not in the Yukon Terr, they didnt have to be unloaded, and weren't when I crossed from Alaska), but didnt check.

I think the western states/provinces are better regarding guns than the eatern ones, judgeing from the accounts others have told me.
 
then waltzing into the US from Canada like they own the place.

She works the US/Canadian border in N. Dakota every day and those are her words. Well, almost.........I removed the profanity! Sorry, that's credible information and I'll have to accept that.

Flash
 
My favorite Canadian story concerns a really good friend of mine: we were sitting having lunch one day talking about our favorite sport, . . . shooting, . . . specifically, handguns.

I made some comment about Canadians not allowing them, . . . more or less.

He mentioned that a couple of years earlier, . . . he had taken his .44 Mag, super Blackhawk to Canada with no trouble.

Somehow he didn't get asked, . . . and of course didn't volunteer the info to anyone, . . . but he told us about a certain target range that he really thought about visiting while there, . . . but just never had time.

I told him he would still be in jail if he had done so and been caught, whereby I got one of those, "Aww, . . . I'm not so sure about that, . . . " replies.

You should have seen his face the next day at lunch, . . . AFTER he went on line and checked out all the laws he broke, . . . and the penalties he could have had. His mistake was perfectly innocent, . . . no harm at all was intended, . . . and it was totally done in ignorance, . . .

But the look on his face the next day was worth a $1000 bucks. He knew he had just gotten away with one huge mistake, . . . just goes to prove that sometimes there really are angels watching over us.

May God bless,
Dwight
 
A friend was once asked that crossing into Toronto.

"Hi, do you have any drugs or weapons in the car, sir?"

"No. Do I need any?"

"No sir, this is Canada!"

"Oh. OK, then."

Funny thing is, going between Washington and BC, I usually got the long stare and questions about drugs. I guess it all depends on context.
 
Last time I was in Canada I did carry condoms. I didn't carry a gun - I had about 300 shipmates on the ground with me, figured that was good.:cool: Man, they had some beautiful women on Victoria Island in 1989.:)
 
When crossing entering any country answer the questions with a simple yes or no or ask for clarification. I have spent a number of years travelling internationally and the only country I ever had an issue with is the US.
 
Armoredman,
Entering with 300 shipmates; I presume you docked in Esquimalt on Vancouver Island. Victoria Island is north of the Arctic Circle and not very many women there.
 
Yes, indeed, and when I was there in '89 there were plenty of women there. :) Also had a great time at the Red Fox Inn...We answered no questions coming in or leaving. That's the beauty of coming in and out of the country in a Naval vessel back then - they sent up Customs forms to fill out to declare items. We declared nothing, (had nothing, drank it all over seas), and they never bothered to check a single thing. I understand it's a little bit different now.
 
Getting into Canada is a breeze. Getting from Canada into the U.S....not so much.
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As a US citizen going to Canada and returning, I found the opposite to be true, except when all the signs at the US checkpoint confused me (I didn't see the Stop Sign amongst all the others) and I stopped in front of the Stop Line. The US guy got a bit snotty and looked in the rear of my SUV. I hope he enjoyed the dirty laundry. :D
 
Patrol also expressed his dissatisfaction with U.S. gun laws and the fact that U.S. citizens were allowed to have guns.
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It's part of the eastern provinces' government brainwashing. I have run into it from others in Ontario. :cool:
 
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