Officers of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) seized a firearm earlier this month at the North Portal border crossing.
According to the CBSA Prairie region’s Twitter feed, officers referred a commercial truck for examination, and found a loaded .38-calibre pistol from the sleeper area of the truck.
A North Carolina man was arrested and paid a $1,000 penalty for failing to declare the firearm, and was refused entry for the offence.
Luke Reimer, a spokesperson with the CBSA, reiterated previous statements that the law enforcement agency wants Americans to remember they need the proper permits to bring certain handguns into the country.
“Check the rules and make sure that what you are wanting to bring into Canada is in fact allowed into Canada,” said Reimer. “But our top recommendation, really, is to leave your handguns at home, because that’s going to make your border crossing as smooth as possible.”
Officers will always ask people crossing the border if they have a firearm in their possession, he said. Responding at the first opportunity with a truthful declaration of firearms will eliminate the risk of penalty or prosecution.
“If you declare the firearms, you won’t be penalized for them,” said Reimer.
The firearm will be referred to the RCMP’s laboratory for destruction.
