Gun laws vary depending on where you are, even between states within the US, but the vary much more when you’re crossing the border between two countries instead of two states. One trucker found that out the hard way when he crossed into Canada with three handguns in his truck.
Based out of South Carolina, the trucker was used to being able to carry weapons under the bottom bunk of his sleeper. His normal routes kept him in areas where he didn’t have to worry about his weapons which he says he keeps for the sake of self-defense.
Recently however he started taking loads up into Canada since they tended to pay better than his domestic loads. Knowing that Canada has different laws regarding firearms, on previous trips he would plan ahead and leave his guns behind, but this time the trucker says that he forgot about it until just before he attempted to cross the border and it was too late to turn back.
“My intention of having guns in America, with all the things that can happen in America, even though I’d never want to shoot or hurt somebody, I would shoot the weapon to scare them away, as something of a last resort,” the driver said according to Penticton Western News. “I sincerely forgot, I forgot all about the guns. When we got up to the border I saw the signs that said guns. Guns, knives, whatever and I turned and said I don’t remember if we took them out. I couldn’t back up, I couldn’t turn around or do anything.”
He was hauling a load of canoes and kayaks, and was on his secondary inspection when he was asked if he was asked if he had any firearms in his vehicle. The driver says that he panicked, worried that if the guns were found he would lose his lease and his job and would be unable to help his mother with her medical bills. He lied to the officers and told them that he didn’t have any firearms.
When law enforcement searched the vehicle they found a loaded Beretta PX Storm pistol and two Smith and Wesson revolvers, as well as three cannisters of mace, two cannisters of pepper spray, and a switchblade – all of which have special restrictions in Canada.
The driver pled guilty to making a false statement at the border, possession of a loaded, prohibited firearm and possession of unauthorized overcapacity magazines in Penticton Provincial Court. While the judge admitted that the driver showed remorse and that she thought it was unlikely that he would make the mistake again, she still upheld the fine of $7,500, saying “it’s extremely serious in Canada to bring guns into this country.”
The driver also had to pay $7,000 for the release of his truck and was given a 10-year firearms prohibition in Canada.
Source: pentictonwesternnews, newskamloops, washingtonpost
They took advantage of this poor guy. All they had to do was turn him around and head him back to usa and he could have put them in storage somewhere. Canada is a liberal state.
Um , it’s not a state .
This is how the antigunners can get their way . Irresponsible fools that “forgot” about their weapons , this is the same type of fool that forgets about the child in a car seat and bakes them. Entirely to stupid to operate a CMV at 80000 lbs. , oops forgot about following distance and killed a family.
I agree
Yeah Craig, like you have never forgotten a thing have you? Its nice being perfect!
Correct on all counts,Craig. If this guy is so stupid/ forgetful that he has no idea of the location of his loaded weapon,t hen perhaps he should practice some self- regulation and exempt himself from the second amendment until he recovers some responsibility.In actuality it’s the same lie told by those people stopped at airports who ” forgot” about the pistol in their purse/ luggage.
He forgot, you dimwit. Humans forget all the time, its human nature. Its not irresponsibility in the least
Obviously this fellow took a chance and rolled the dice . It may have been a different outcome if he was to declare his prohibited items . That’s why we have what is called customs and boarder patrol . Chances are he would have then been denied entry .
Just another reason to not go to Canada.
Agreed, another reason for you to stay out of Canada.
HAHAHAHA Well said AT. I agree with you completely.
Agree with you Tom. I was given the opportunity to drive loads to Canada, refused because too many restrictions. But the driver should have said he had a weapon in the truck. I mean come on, sounds like the guy was attempting to arm the military.
What s the point of insulting the driver at this point? Antigunners will be antigunners no matter what.
Something was wrong with the driver though,3 guns for self defense? And he said:”he would shoot to scare them away”…this man doesn t have the basic knowledge of gun use,5 cans of mace/pepper spray…
I am a gun owner myself,multiple guns,but I d never carry them all in my truck and then forget about it.
I am sorry for his troubles,but the law is what the law is,we may not like it,we may not agree with it,we just have to follow it.
I have to hold the guy to the heat for lying, instead of just telling them the truth, getting turned back, storing his weapons, and coming back.
Also, firearms are not for scare tactics. If you are not prepared to shoot someone, then there is no value in firing one. Keep it locked up, where it is less likely to be taken from you, and used to shoot you, or someone else. If you are not prepared to shoot people in defense of your possession of the firearm, then you really should not be carrying it. The guy who takes it from you, will likely be prepared to shoot people with it, or get it to someone who is.
Beyond that… yes, we all forget things. Some things are more important than others. I suspect that his guns have just become a lot more important to remember… He didn’t forget his phone, his drivers’ license, his passport, or his keys, right? His Bill of Lading? His trailer? The truth?
Well, he probably won’t forget about his weapons, ever again.
Unfortunately being an gun advocate in Canada myself I understand the sentence and treatment. Not only did he outright lie which probably prevented him from admitting it and being able to turn back but this is how guns are getting into the wrong hands over here. The gun advocates here are begging for crackdowns at the border where guns are being smuggled in for the purpose of criminal activity. The more criminal gun violence the more pressure on good legal gun owners to give up their weapons. Although your gun laws are relaxed I would never attempt to cross with one or make excuses for trying let alone lie about it. If I forgot until the bridge I might claim I missed my exit before lying about the actual possession. These guards are far from stupid and most are gunners themselves and see the opportunity to stop smuggling as their part in saving their own rights from the left wing antigunners currently in power.
Feel free to just not come to Canada then…maybe stop by Chicago and get shot instead? Does this idiot think our CBSA Agents are stupid?? He deserves the $15000 this has cost him!! Hahaha
This doesn’t need defending. This guy screwed up. Why do you feel the need to have guns on the job anyway? If you feel the need to have weapons when you are in public, you need to get checked out or move to another location. The only reason for a otr driver to have weapons in a vehicle is to cause problems or threaten someone with their false sense of invincibility.
I like guns. They can be fun, and they are good for home defense and hunting. But some people just act incredibly stupid sometimes. They should treat guns just like they do cars. Have to take the field test and exam to pass to acquire a license before buying and registering. It would be better that way to assure the owners know the laws for obvious reasons.
If it were me, I would have taken a taxi to a pawn shop before making that trip.
Do you understand the difference between a privilege and a right?
It’s not about feeling to have the need, it’s my right. A person doesn’t have to have a reason to exercise a right.
Glad to see common sense prevailing in the (relatively few) comment here.
You may not like the law, but you must follow it or face the consequences.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Canada is on the verge of legalizing cannabis nationwide within a year; I certainly can’t imagine there would be much sympathy for a Canadian crossing into the USA who “forgets” his stash, either.
Well that dumbass has $14,500 reasons why he wont do that again. Three guns and 5 cans of mace? Sounds like this guys scared of his own shadow!! Theres enough idiots driving around with guns in there trucks!
Canada sucks anyway.
You do realize all truckers in the US and all truckers who work for Canadian trucking companies with authorization to operate in the US are subject to stringent mandatory drug testing, right? Nobody is going to be ‘forgettig their stash’ or even smoking dope in the first place. Failing a drug test or attempting to mask a Federal DOT drug test of the DriverCheck program has dire concequences.
First off Canadians aren’t animals, they have laws and we have laws it’s just that simple. Where he made his mistake was he lied to the customs officers, if he would have told the truth there was a very good possibility they would have let him turn around with a fine. Realistically although I know the US is getting pretty bad and I myself own many firearms why do you need all that in the truck. He got very lucky that was a sympathetic judge that’s all I’m saying.
Why did he need 3 guns, all that pepper spray, mace AND a switch blade? Sounds to me like this guy was taking orders and this is his alibi.
I AM CANADIAN
I dont own/shoot guns for sport or any situation..I crossed into usa once and got the shit scared outta me when a customs agent leaped from the cab of the xray truck went to one knee with his hand on his fire arm..yelled at me to stop,raise my hands..Asked what i wanted…Im guessing he was wired up on something cause all i had in my hands was my p/w/trk keys…Maybe he thought i was the papercut slasher or something…Yeap you fellers across the boarder are to gun needy..You make your own troubles at times…
I just dont see how 3 guns/ammo,mace,pepper spray get so easily forgotten about on a new run goin to a different country..How do they protect you when under a bunk either??
When some junkie or what ever nabs you when not lookin do you say ” hang on a sec my guns are under the bunk”?..More to this story i think than we are told..Just to be sure i got me rubber boots on and me big ole coal shovel ready just in case
Craig, by all means, get a different run. If you think border patrol agents are scary, stay away from the Mexican border, .
Coyotes with drugs/people to ship north ate less polite by a long shot.
I’ve seen how drunken Canucks drive, guns are much safer..
Three guns mace, pepper spray, and switch blade is a bit more more than personal protection wouldn’t you agree.
Someone watches too many action movies.
Sounds like an opportunity for an entrepreneur; gun lockers on the US side for people to leave their weapons in while they are in Canada.$10-$20 a day for storage is a hell of a lot better than a $7,500 fine and $7,000 impound fee.
Keeps guns to scare people off but not to shoot anyone? 3 guns 2 cans of mace and knife, how paranoid is this driver? How are they planning on using these guns to scare some off? by shooting in the air? Through the walls? Thats even scarier than shooting at someone and this is a prime example of someone who should never carry guns. Get a friggin dog.
Years ago I crossed into Canada and I forgot to leave my pistol behind. I didn’t think about it until the border guy asked me. Then I was like, oh crap. But I didn’t lie to him. They let me drop my trailer and take the gun back into the US. Did a search when I came back and let me go on my way. No fines or anything because I didn’t lie and admitted having it.
Well.. If the driver is not in the habit of pulling out his guns then yes, it’s easy to forget wiith all the other stuff you must remember like customs papers and routes. I do believe that 3 different weapons is a bit overkill. Where is this guy sleeping at night.
Is he afraid of his own shadow or maybe in the past, he was a victim
and he can’t get over it.. Something to think about.
Used to carry my weapon into Canada all the time. I got lucky and was never searched. Truth is, had he admitted that he had the weapons at the first checkpoint, they would’ve allowed him to turn them in and claim them on the way out. At least that was the way it was explained to me by Canadian Customs years ago. I never turned my weapon over because I never came back out the same way.
Is no one else amazed that all he had to do was pay fines and get a Canadian probation? I mean wow. 15k in fines and that’s it. Yea that’s a lot of money but just think about how much worse it could be in the states.
More than likely his guns would have been seized and he would have been slapped with multiple felonies. Good thing it was Canada and not California.
I don’t think being liberal is the issue. I believe Canada is taking advantage of US citizens. The Canadians should have filed a report on the matter and charged him a reasonable fee before turning him around. Also, suspend his Canada access privileges for a reasonable amount of time. If anyone does it a 2nd time, then throw the book at
them. $14,000 for this is a crime in itself.
I go in and out of Canada weekly sometimes bi weekly and carry a loaded handgun. Always have and always will
I do not declare it and answer No firearms. Yea, I may get caught and fined. but I will take that chance. Same with travel in NY and NJ. I feel better to have it and not need it than need and not have it.
American driver said “you’ll have to pry my gun from my cold dead hands” Canadian driver said, “hold my gun my hands are cold”
3 guns under the bunk for protection? I call bull. 3 guns being sold in Canada is more like it.
Like one guy said Americans cause their own problems with the 2nd amendment, everybody is armed and ready to shoot just like in the wild west. Then they wonder why the cops are trigger happy, I’d be the same if I was an American cop, my gun out and if you make one move for any reason I’m shooting. Why? because They want to make sure they get home to their families after work and how can you tell a good guy from a bad guy when they all are packing. Please we have enough American guns here killing people, we dont want anymore.
3 guns for protection and I dont want to shoot anyone, please, they should put his sorry ass in jail.
Spoken like a true “subject” ,
You don’t miss real freedom cause you’ve never had it.
Bad guy: stick em up
Canuck: gimme a second to call the rcmp
Bad guy: no (bang)
See why being armed is better?
I know right. It’s illegal to carry firearms weapons interstate in the US. Yet alone “firing in the air”. . And admitting to do so! What the F’s wrong with this knucklehead?
Georgejansen> it is not illegal to carry interstate in the U.S. Learn the law before you give false info. Thank you!
Well, legal or not, I’m going to tell you. Any “CHILD” that feels the need to drive around in the biggest vehicle on the road, with a arsenal inside, really should think about a career change before they do something that hurts someone else.
I said before, it is okay to have guns, but having them on the job in one of the most demanding jobs you can have while also having the responsibility of managing heavy equipment that obviously everyone hates, is just asking for trouble. Do the smart thing and don’t provoke the morons. Leave your damn toys at home!
See comments above.
Bad guy: stick em up
Baseball Hat guy: sir, wait till I build up air so I can run over you with my truck
Bad guy : no (bang)
Baseball hat guy looses his life, baseball hat, truck ,and load
See why it’s better to be armed?
Cops have a demanding job and they carry guns.
If you think you’re so inferior to them, you shouldn’t drive a truck either.
Personally, I’m not intimidated by trucks or guns.
diem,the second amed says u have the right to own,but most states say u must have a concealed weapons license to carry.chapter 790.165.
Is it even legal to carry a firearm in a commercial vehicle?
DOT Allows it but each state has their own law meaning most say no
three guns? i wouldn’t be surprised if this dude is selling guns up and down the east coast.
WTF ? ? ? they found a loaded Beretta PX Storm pistol and two Smith and Wesson revolvers, as well as three canisters of mace, two canisters of pepper spray, and a switchblade ? ? ? ? WTF
How stupid can people get!!! Disarm the honest citizen and the criminals feel safe. It’s exceedingly stupid to penalize the non criminal gun owner.
Its Canada. I managed to find a company that stays out of that Country. We get our share of headaches right here, why volunteer for more by going up there,
I quit hauling into or out of Canada a long time ago. The money wasn’t worth the BS. It’s not getting into Canada that is the problem, it getting back into the US that is a MAJOR pain in the caboose! Too much red tape and BS!
Canada does not mess around when it comes to weapons and crossing the border. A former coworker / driver went thru with a knife that was not in his storage compartment. They held him up at the border and charged him some ridiculous fine to be released and sent on his way. The knife was used as a tool. Just crazy!
Not smart, if he would have been honest and told the border guards in the beginning it would have a lot less expensive, be responsible for your self
They should have locked him up!!! What kind of trucker has all of those weapons in his truck anyway? I think he was up to no good!