When I crossed at the abbostford crossing December 2023, I will share a story. I know some of it is definately my fault. I was moving to Fairbanks and already spend two days in Seattle getting my expediated passport and stressing about parking my 5 x 8 cargo trailor at a motel. When I pulled up to the entrance station I declared where I was going and that I had five bolt action rifles. Totally spacing three suppressors were attached (my fault). The border persons went out to my vehicle and tore everything apart in the vehicle and trailor. Then they came back in and promptly arrested me accusing me of being an arms dealer.
I was put into a holding cell. Talked to a Canadian laywer over the phone, etc. I could hear the guys slapping high five to each other outside the cell like they busted a huge crime faction. Finally they asked me what I would like to do. I told them I want to talk to the American consulate. Wow, things sped up after that. I was given my shoes and belt back, and told to wait in the waiting area. After three or fours I was told I would be fined five hundred dollars and allowed to keep my rifles. As I was signing papers and such I could see my suppressors and asked what was their fate. They told me they were going to keep them and shred them (i think he was lying).
One more issue (my fault) was I had an empty 30 round magazine for sporting rifle they found (i lived in Idaho for the last twenty years no one cared if I had forgotten about empty magazines in my jeep, and yes before I left I checked for things like this, I just missed it). But it opened another hour of questions. They really wanted to know where my ar's and pistols were. I left them at a friends house and they insisted on knowing who, until I asked to speak with the american consulate again.
So now to the point that pissed me off. As I was leaving and the border person told me if I would have told them at the entrance point I had suppressors, they would of allowed me to turn around and go back to the US side and deal with the issue. But since after I told them I had firearms and then they guided me the two hundred feet to the inspection area, I was two hundred feet to far into Canada and that made me an arms dealer. I think it was crimenal enterprise. I sat there after being let out of jail .....................just a break, had to step outside to take a leak. The northern lights tonight south of chena marina are intense.......... and watched cart after cart of "confiscated items" being taken from folks crossing the border.
I know I am to blame for most of it, I get it.... its their country. (A four day drive through the Cassiar and AlCan to think about it) But it puts a stain on government beaucrats. I played my junior hockey in BC in '88, '89' and '90. I am still part of my Canadian billets family. Most of the folks on the trip to Fairbanks were genuine Canadians that I had always known and loved (except Whitehorse, a............les in that town)
But just a silly story. Oh and by the way I had a DUI in 2012 (plead no contest) and it never surfaced through all this
