Fulltimers with Firearms?

[Carol H]

[QUOTE=Night Sailor;364779][COLOR=Blue] He was stopped at the border and turned around. He left it with a friend and tried crossing again some days later at a different checkpoint.

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I think most border patrol people themselves would naturally want to keep a firearm with them, and so expect people to bring one in.

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So I see three options. 1) Hiding a cheap firearm for personal protection, that is large enough to stop a bear, or 2) Applying for the five year permit which is $60, and being careful to comply with all laws. or 3) Competing in target competition while traveling to Canada. <Quote>



First off it may surprise some how few of the Canadian border patrol officers actually carry a gun on the job. That's slowly changing though. The vast majority of Canadians are pretty firm in not wanting anymore guns than we already have in the country so there isnt anyone at the border or else where who will be very understanding of your need for personal protection so they ARE NOT EXPECTING you to bring one in. They are expecting you to follow the laws of the country you are entering and to have left your gun in the US.

You have a much higher chance of being charged criminally for not disclosing a firearm to Canadian Customs than you do of simple being turned away these days. You also stand a good chance of saying good by to your tug and trailer.

Firearms of any kind are forbidden in most of Canada's national and provincial parks.

I do not recommend a visitor shoot any bears in Canada unless they have a license to do so and what ever you do dont do it in a park. In order to get a license one must have first taken a recognized hunter safety course. None residents can get a license but they need to be accompanied by a guide.

Hunting for grizzly bears in BC (which you pass through on your way to Alaska) falls under Limited Entry Hunting (LEH) regulations. and few authorizations are issued each year and are distributed by the drawing of lot & is very limited in regards to the areas in which grizzlies can be hunted. Black Bears can only be hunted when in season and the hunting season varies by area and not all areas can be hunted. Oh I know some people are going to say they shoot the bear in self defense but I highly recommend you have a couple of independent witnesses to that before you pull the trigger on a grizzle and you may even want to make sure you video it if its a Black Bear involved Trust me you will be subject to big scrutiny.

Lastly I highly recommend reading the actual laws on Canada regarding importing of guns which can be found at:Canadian Border Agency - Importing a Firearm or Weapon.

[841K9]

I'm not a full timer, but my job keeps me on the road constantly.

I have a concealed permit and almost always carry and avoid places where it is illegal to do so. Those places are easy targets for criminals and they know it. Police are only there to deal with the law breakers AFTER the crime has been committed.

Even if you won't or can't carry a firearm, take a self defense course. Practice regularly. Always be aware of your surroundings, defensive positions, exits and potential threats. Or, you could do as the University of Colorado recommends and vomit on your attacker(s)....

I learned the hard way and was shot a few months after graduating high school on my first job in what was considered to be a good neighborhood by a druggie that wanted to steal tools. A bit of precaution would probably have prevented or at least controlled the situation.

[Jared J]

I know this is an old thread, but I thought it would be pertinent.

Do NOT rely on law books as to what states you can/can't carry. Go to the states site, or contact them directly.

For example, I can legally carry in roughly 38 states (I say roughly, going back to checking). Several times, due to law changes, etc., there have been states that were legal to carry, then wasn't for periods of a few days to a few weeks, then was legal again.

Some of it was a law that had an end date, some of it was new laws that were immediately changed, etc.

Be careful.

I plan on installing a small lockbox in the camper for the gun and a small amount of ammo, nothing fancy. 95% of the time, it will be on me anyway.

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by 841K9

.......I have a concealed permit and almost always carry and avoid places where it is illegal to do so. Those places are easy targets for criminals and they know it. .........

This is exactly why I'm scared to go to Canada. Their crime rate must be, what, ten times the US?

[cpaharley2008]

Surely you jest??

[jen b]

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

This is exactly why I'm scared to go to Canada. Their crime rate must be, what, ten times the US?

Worse than somalia, last I heard.

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

This is exactly why I'm scared to go to Canada. Their crime rate must be, what, ten times the US?

Goin' into the popcorn business, Tom?

Francesca

[Darwin Maring]

Get Bear spray and furgetaboutit.

[honda03842]

We do carry bear spray and do not normally carry a gun and certainly never in Canada.

It is legal to transport a gun in your vehicle thru any state while going from one place to another, Federal law.

It appears, maybe because of demographics, that crime is inversely proportional to the right to carry a gun with those states with the toughest gun laws having the highest gun murder rates.

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by honda03842

.........
It appears, maybe because of demographics, that crime is inversely proportional to the right to carry a gun with those states with the toughest gun laws having the highest gun murder rates.

Exactly! And that's why I wouldn't take the chance of getting murdered in Canada.

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by honda03842

We do carry bear spray and do not normally carry a gun and certainly never in Canada.

It is legal to transport a gun in your vehicle thru any state while going from one place to another, Federal law.

It appears, maybe because of demographics, that crime is inversely proportional to the right to carry a gun with those states with the toughest gun laws having the highest gun murder rates.

I do not wish to reopen this diatribe but check the concealed weapon website for reciprocity, some states will not recognize your permit and you would be subject to arrest.
Concealed Carry Permit Reciprocity Maps - USA Carry

[Darwin Maring]

When he said he can transport through all states I think he met to do it in a way that is safe such as unloaded and in a case locked in the trunk and no ammo with it.

Purchase "The Traveler's Guide to the Firearms Laws of the Fifty States", take it with you and be safe. Gunlaws for the 50 States

[honda03842]

Jim,

My statement had nothing to do with reciprocity.

Federal law allows taking a gun thru any two locations in the USA. In this process the duration of stops is limited, ie. like overnight but not for a week.

I'm sure in the trunk and unloaded is part of it all.

[Francesca Knowles]

Isn't this about where someone should start up with "The Castle Doctrine", thus kickin' things up a notch or two?

Francesca

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

This is exactly why I'm scared to go to Canada. Their crime rate must be, what, ten times the US?

Hey! You'd better watch it, we have learned to have deadly aim with snowballs, and we aren't afraid to use them.



I have spent a few thousand nights camping in bear country, most of that in the backcountry. I have seen many grizzly and black bears, some from a distance, and some from quite close. Never once did I even consider a firearm, just act with common sense and treat the bear with respect, and have never had an issue.

Campers too, having spent many a night around them, I have never felt the slightest need to have a firearm around them. In fact, I would bet there are WAY more people who camp with RV's that are more frightened knowing someone around them in another RV may have a firearm, then are afraid of being a victim of crime.

I do own a few rifles and guns, and used to be an avid hunter, but have not hunted in quite a few years now. I do still take them out to our land for target shooting, but would never consider carrying one for any other reason. I tend to err on the side of trusting folks, it seems to set up a better relationship that way.

[David Tilston]

It is not that I am afraid of guns. I don't hunt, but I support the idea. Eating meat means taking a life, and accepting that is the responsibility of anyone, like myself, who eats meat. I think that hunting brings this reality that much more into focus.
But carrying a gun with the intent to use it against another person is beyond me. Oh I know that there are those who will defend their "Right" to posses firearms and have a complete philosophy of why this is necessary and in fact it is their responsibility. I don't buy it. Having lived in Canada most of my life, I am unfamiliar with the comfort experienced by those who can not leave their guns behind. From my perspective, they seem to live in fear. Fear that is pumped out every day by the news media, who distill everything that happens in life to find the most horrific stories to tell us. Why, to convince us that we are under threat every second of our lives. So the natural response is to arm ourselves. We want guns to be easily available to us. Of course that also makes them easily available to the bad guys. The line I hear is, "when guns are illegal, then only criminals with have them." Well, it seems to me that when guns are easily available, all the criminals have them. The people who carry guns to protect them selves seem to picture some kind of shoot out where the bad guys have a gun and the good guys defend the homestead with their guns. When I suspect that gun violence frequently does not allow the good guy the chance to access their gun. Someone pulls a gun and shoots. No time to react. So having a gun may not make you much safer, but the bad guy sure likes that he lives in a sea of available fire arms.
The Idea that criminals flock to jurisdictions where guns are not available, so they have the advantage, is just silly. Yah, I know some bad guys have guns in Canada, but we are not all hiding in our basements while the bad guys ride around town shooting into the air and terrorizing the population. Mostly, I just assume that the people I meet aren't carrying a gun, which I find comforting. What I do fear is going to the States, where I assume the people I meet are carrying a gun, and that idea terrifies me. A hand gun is not so good for hunting, but is designed to kill a person, not the kind of tool I want.
When I was 13, I was kinda messed up. I decided to hitch hike from Espanola Ontario to Calgary. I think I was looking to meet a violent end. Instead what I found was a country of friendly and interesting people. But even more importantly I lost a good deal of fear that I did not even know that I had. I started to see those around me as people and not threats. Now this is not to say you will never meet bad people, they do exist. But they are very much in the minority. As a Canadian, it is nice to know that the odds of them having guns are much lower. Unlike the NRA, I don't believe that the answer to gun violence is more guns.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

Campers too, having spent many a night around them, I have never felt the slightest need to have a firearm around them. In fact, I would bet there are WAY more people who camp with RV's that are more frightened knowing someone around them in another RV may have a firearm, then are afraid of being a victim of crime.

That would be me for one Have spent lots of nights camping in bear, cougar and wolf country in tents and trailer and never had an occasion to be sorry I didnt have a gun with me. I did though last winter leave a camping spot in Arizona that I had planned to stay longer in after I watched a large number of fellow campers out doing target practise one day & noticed that every cactus for miles around had been damaged by bullets. It was a bit of an eye opener. Didn't feel real safe there knowing that apparently everyone and his dog had a gun of one type or another. Actually one of the least favorable memories of that trip and made me think a lot more about if in the future when I have more time if I would actually be comfortable doing the snow bird thing in the south.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by 841K9

I have a concealed permit and almost always carry and avoid places where it is illegal to do so. Those places are easy targets for criminals and they know it. .

Well that policy would sure cut down on my bucket list and travel expenses to complete it. So outside the US I am guessing off the top of my head that pretty well only leaves one with Africa, China, Taiwan, and North Korea (probable not a complete list but cant come up with any other top touristy destinations off the top of my head right now) as places to visit. Not all that bad as some of the seven wonders of the world are within those counties. But I wouldn't expect to be able to take my own gun on the plane with me but one will find they shouldn't in such places have much trouble buying yourself one off the street once you get there. Unlike in Canada and most of Europe & Australia were your most likely going to need to make yourself friendly with a gang connection to obtain a concealable gun.

[Darwin Maring]

Jim, What U don't understand is that the City Yanks that go 2 the wild (Yellowstone 4 example) will walk up as close as possible and get mauled to death by the bears and other wild animals. It happens every year in our Yank (USA) parks.

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by Darwin Maring

Jim, What U don't understand is that the City Yanks that go 2 the wild (Yellowstone 4 example) will walk up as close as possible and get mauled to death by the bears and other wild animals. It happens every year in our Yank (USA) parks.

This one's for you, Darwin!