Good friend of mine has accepted a job flying helicopters out of Anchorage. He will be driving up from the lower 48 in a few weeks. He wants to bring a handgun along when he drives up. He is in need of information on what forms and/or paperwork the Canadian authorities will require to transit thru Canada with his handgun to Alaska.

Anyone done that trip recently who could give an update on the rules/procedures? Any current info will be much appreciated.

When I traveled through Canada to Alaska (years ago),I had to have pistols sent to a dealer in Alaska,where I picked them up.However,things change and so I too am interested in the current situation.

call canadian customs , they are real paranoid about guns they will refer you to a website that tells what to do. you can take a ferry all the way from bellingham to juneau then another ferry to seward or somewhere so you dont have to deal with canadians. get hold of the alaska marine highway. or ship your stuff shrinkwrapped on a pallet from seattle. a high speed barge takes about 2 days from seattle

The short answer is you can't take handguns through Canada.

Even rifles are actually frowned on. You will need to basically get the paperwork and approval to export them to canada and then re-import them at the Alaskan border. There are fees involved, and it also quietly registers all your guns.....

Instead, I left them behind and flew them up a couple at a time over the next couple years.

They can also be shipped to dealers. I can recommend Great Northern Guns in Anchorage as being good to work with. Explain the situation and they will work with you.

It is technically legal to fedex a gun from you to you, to be held for pickup. Since the gun never changes hands, no FFL is required....unfortunately, you'll want to have this whole process in print to convince the counter personnel that it is in fact ok.

Good Luck!

Dan

Thank you all for the quick responses and advice. I'll pass this on to him. My take on this is, at a minimum, he's likely to encounter a bureaucratic hassle from the Canadian authorities plus being charged some fees. Worst case would be he wouldn't be allowed to transport his own gun thru Canada?

From your responses, it appears the least hassle option is to simply ship from his FFL here to an FFL in Anchorage. Naturally that means FFL fees on both ends plus shipping, insurance, etc.

Cpt. Jack,
Handguns aren't allowed in Canada, period. They allow long guns with a permit which is applied for prior to taking them through. The only way to get a handgun from the lower 48 to Alaska is to send it.

Worst case if he tries to sneak a handgun through would be he ends up in a Canadian jail. There are some additional restrictions on auto loading rifles, and their minimum barrel length for shotguns is longer than the US.

If he has housing lined up in Anchorage, he can ship his guns to himself, no need to go FFL to FFL.

i think in a good weekend we could take Canada over without having to recruit outside of N. Dakota, Montana and Minn.
Scratch Minn.
They are too close to being Canucks already, lets send in some citizens from Alaska instead.

What is wrong with those crazy people in our attic?

quote:

Originally posted by Gun toter:
i think in a good weekend we could take Canada over without having to recruit outside of N. Dakota, Montana and Minn.
Scratch Minn.
They are too close to being Canucks already, lets send in some citizens from Alaska instead.

What is wrong with those crazy people in our attic?

Actually I feel very bad for our fellow northern hunters and gun owners. This is what happen when you give in to the gun grabbers. I sincerely believe that without the NRA we would be in the same boat. And BTW, let's not start a war with the same guys who are trying to help us finish the one(s) we started.

Actually it is allot harder for my foreign hunters to get a weapons import permits into the US to hunt with me in Alaska than it is for me to take my gun through BC to hunt out of Hyder, Ak.

Just go to the source for the info you want: http://www.cfc-cafc.gc.ca/default_e.asp

Wow!
Long guns are relativly easy to transport through Canada. Just did it with 5 of them. Download the forms at their website and fill them out ahead of time (not at the border) in triplicate. Ammo is OK too as long as it's on their approved list.
Handguns can be transported through Canada as well, but the approval process is a little more involved. Instead of the forms being approved on the spot at the border crossing, they have to be pre-approved by each individual province you are travelling to.

If he were to load his vehicle on the ferry out of WA and take that ride up to AK he wouldn't have to worry about customs would he? That way he could transport his firearms with him. I know the ferry stops in Canada to pick up passengers but as long as the weapons stay on the ferry they never have to be declared right?

It would be cheaper to ship the guns than to take his vehicle on the ferry.

Gentlemen,

First off, handguns are allowed in Canada. Severe restrictions, yes but they are allowed. I legally own three and have a permit to carry one of them while working in the bush.

But back to the first post. I believe that most guys south of the border ship FFL to FFl. It is less hassle for you.

Handguns are legal in Canada just a lot more crap to go through to keep them. Handguns can also be brought into Canada for shooting competitions. Transporting the firearm through Canada is another story. You would be better off shipping it to a dealer and then picking it up. Under no means try and sneak it across!

If it helps any, when hunting in the lower 48 I commonly mail my guns from myself to myself with no hassle.

So if the person in question had any kind of mailing address to use in Alaska he could just go by the post office on his way out of town.

In my case I use my Dillingham address on the "send to" and "return to" and so far so good!

Scott,

I couldn't agree more. The USPO is the easiest way to go. Ship from yourself to yourself. I'll never carry a gun on a domestic flight again. The PO option just works too slick.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by Cpt. Jack:
Good friend of mine has accepted a job flying helicopters out of Anchorage. He will be driving up from the lower 48 in a few weeks. He wants to bring a handgun along when he drives up. He is in need of information on what forms and/or paperwork the Canadian authorities will require to transit thru Canada with his handgun to Alaska.

Anyone done that trip recently who could give an update on the rules/procedures? Any current info will be much appreciated.

A persons drivers license has a lot of personal info in the in the read out strip but I won't let anyone swipe my DL thru a reader as it's none of their business.Going thru another countries border would probably reveal info that I have a CCW,etc.I'll never carry any handgun or pepper spray into canada btw pepper spray is considered the same as possession of a handgun in canada!

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
Scott,

I couldn't agree more. The USPO is the easiest way to go. Ship from yourself to yourself. I'll never carry a gun on a domestic flight again. The PO option just works too slick.

Mark

An individual cannot ship handguns through the USPS. Only an FFL can use the Post Office.
Individuals can ship handguns to themselves through "common carriers" such as UPS, Fedex...
See the ATF "rules" here.

Been there, done that.

Actually pepper spray is not considered any where close to a handgun here. The bear spray size cans are a controlled product, all that means is you have to sign your name when you buy it. Then you can carry where and how you wish. It is only considered a weapon if used on a person during a crime. Bringing it across the border is difficult only because they consider it a controlled product.
I don't really think firearms ownership is much different here than in the US, only if you listen to the alarmists who feel there should be no laws requiring safe storage etc. The registry is another story, but there are very few true stories of it bothering any legal law abiding gun owners. Even now years after, if you have unregistered long guns, they only require you register them and you get them back. Different story with handguns, as they have been registered since the 30's, unless one pops out of grandpas locker from the early wars, then there is a inheratence clause that allows you to register it and keep it.
Yep alot of paper work at times, but insn't that the order of the day.
When you look at some of the states own laws they are much more restrictive than Canada's laws.
Most days I do not feel the need to carry, unless in downtown Calgary or Edmonton at times, but seldom do I need to be in the Gang drug infested areas of town unless i am working, then i am carrying anyways.

As far as long guns go, I have brought them through Canada twice in the last 5 years and had no problem or hassle. I am actually doing it again this week as we move back up there. Like someone said before, visit the site, print the forms and you will be fine. There are also directions on getting a handgun through as well. I have my wife take them on the plane as she flies up.