CBSA asking Americans to leave weapons at home; hundreds of guns seized locally in recent years
Posted July 19, 2016 10:24 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – If you’re coming to visit us, please leave your guns at home.
That’s the message the Canada Border Services Agency plans to deliver to our American friends following hundreds of gun seizures in our region in recent years.
A total of 466 guns have been seized by the CBSA over the last five years in the Pacific region. An additional 72 have been confiscated in the first half of this year.
“It’s a huge concern,” says Erin Steeksma with the CBSA. “Illegal firearms are very high risk, and they’re an enforcement priority for us across Canada. It’s something that we’re very aware of.”
Given this, Steeksma says in the coming months, the CBSA is planning an information campaign to let Americans know what they can and can’t bring up here.
“While we can’t speculate as to why travellers don’t declare their firearms, most of the undeclared firearms seized by the CBSA at the land ports are personal ones belonging to travellers coming from the United States,” says Steeksma.
Peace Arch crossing has seen the most seizures locally, with 142 guns taken over the last half decade.
