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June 8, 2009
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It is my understanding you can move a handgun through Canada. You must have the forms filled out, etc. The gun must conform to Canada law...more than 4" barrel (a 4" barrel is not legal; they use a metric measure and it's 4.something {edit: inches}), etc. Follow all their rules!
I view this from the point of view of someone driving through Canada to Alaska with locked up, unloaded firearms and ammo. I don't know anything about taking a gun in for hunting, target shooting, etc.
I haven't taken any guns into Canada yet, but the information is on their website.
We (the Wife, the dog, and me towing our RV trailer) drove into Canada early this year for a brief visit (no guns). The Canadians were very nice. The Wife and I both had CHLs at the time, but Canada didn't ask us a thing about guns. USBP jerked us around when we came back to US.
Dans Club
January 17, 2015
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Our hand gun laws up here are pretty tight regarding being able to transport and store them. You can import them but you must be able to prove you will meet the storage and transportation laws. You cannot hunt with a hand gun in Canada, so never say that is your intent. You can bring them through Canada for a shooting match for example. If you are simply traveling to Alaska, it may be easier to ship them up first.
One of the main things to be aware of is our magazine laws - any magazine that does not meet our laws is prohibited from entry. So on semi-auto rifles, the limit is 5 rounds only. That means every 30 round AR mag must be pinned to 5 rounds only or they are illegal. Hand guns is 10 rounds. No exceptions. There are a few work-arounds, such as people using Beowolf 50 cal mags in their ARs to hold 13 rounds, but the CBSA agents are not always aware of the gun laws, so they will confiscate first and leave you to deal with retrieving your items afterwards.
I should add that the laws are similar when us Canucks head south, though they do allow us to import some guns that you cannot get in the USA (providing the proper paperwork is completed ahead of time), such as Norinco guns for example. However, we would have to remove affixed bayonets. Go figure.
FYI - hand gun barrels must be greater than 105mm which equals 4.13 inches. Hence, a lot of US hand gun models are now 4.25 inches. Also the reason why I had Eric at EWK custom make me a 106mm barrel and bushing for my 4" shroud....because you know, that 101mm stock DW barrel will naturally be evil.
If you want more clarification, let me know. The laws are confusing to say the least.
June 8, 2009
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Yes, we've moved most of our firearms by airplane and AK ferry; bypassing Canada. We have several that we have to bring by car. I think we've got the "evil" ones thinned out, with a few long guns that we'll mail to ourselves.
I thought I read that the Garand clips (eight rounds) were OK in Canada? I've got several cans of '06 rounds in clips I need to move.
I just read that USPS will end the flat rate boxes in Jan. 2016. That was my Plan A for moving magazines, cases, & bullets. I'm going to have think up a Plan B.
Thanks for the information.
Dans Club
January 17, 2015
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LeonardC said
Yes, we've moved most of our firearms by airplane and AK ferry; bypassing Canada. We have several that we have to bring by car. I think we've got the "evil" ones thinned out, with a few long guns that we'll mail to ourselves.I thought I read that the Garand clips (eight rounds) were OK in Canada? I've got several cans of '06 rounds in clips I need to move.
I just read that USPS will end the flat rate boxes in Jan. 2016. That was my Plan A for moving magazines, cases, & bullets. I'm going to have think up a Plan B.
Thanks for the information.
As far as I know, the Garand is exempt from the 5 round semi-auto center fire law. Again, our laws are confusing and there is a list of exceptions that are model specific, they make no sense and therefore even our CFOs make mistakes that can cause you grief, money, and time to sort out.
One thing to consider as well, is that the US has some strict laws about exporting ITAR items, which they take very seriously. For example, it is legal for me to bring ammunition into Canada if I bought it in the States, however, under US laws, it is illegal for me to take it out of the US. Many other items apply to these US ITAR laws, such as scopes, triggers, action parts, etc. They do set up searches sometimes before leaving the States, with stories of the Border Patrol watching Canadians shopping at Cabelas stores etc just across the border. This is the same reason some vendors will not and legally cannot sell items and ship them to Canada. I needed to go through a legal ITAR approved exporter to bring up my EWK barrel and DW parts. Costly, but all above board and perfectly legal - just need to follow the rules.
So, long story short, you need to not only check with the Canadian laws, you should also check with the US Border Patrol and find out if you need to do anything to legally export an item.
If you need any transportation laws info, let me know. They are pretty strict with those things up here. If I ever get stopped by police, they know I am a registered gun owner and immediately ask if I have any in my vehicle. Legally, I have to allow them to view my guns to make certain transportation laws are being met. I keep a copy of the laws in both my vehicles, because even the police mess up our convoluted laws.
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Dans Club
December 4, 2011
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Your laws are one of the reasons I won't be doing any hunting or traveling to Canada, just too confusing. Alaska is an easier option for US citizens.
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February 20, 2008
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I, for one, can not find anything about USPS ending flat rate service, anywhere. I will
ask our local postmaster this week.
If you're going to drink, don't drive. Don't even putt.
Dans Club
January 17, 2015
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SCORPIO said
Your laws are one of the reasons I won't be doing any hunting or traveling to Canada, just too confusing. Alaska is an easier option for US citizens.
There are many good hunting/guide outfits and if you are just bringing up center fire bolt rifles or shotguns, it is actually quite simple to bring those into Canada. With your dollar being $1.34 up here, it makes it a cheap option.
^ for any of these non-restricted guns, all you basically need to do is transport them unloaded, ammo separate (unless in a locked case, then ammo can be in the case but the gun must always be unloaded), and put a trigger or action lock on the gun (internal locks do not count). That is the easy version. Restricted (some rifles and all handguns) are a different story.
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/fs-fd/storage-entreposage-eng.htm
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