The Canada Border Services Agency is launching the a firearms awareness campaign.
The initiative, called Leave Your Handguns at Home, is to inform visitors to Canada about Canadian firearm laws.
“Firearms and weapons are high-risk commodities and their interdiction is a CBSA enforcement priority,” says CBSA regional director general Rick Comerford. “Firearms should be left at home when visiting Canada unless they are being declared for a legitimate purpose. “
CBSA officials say all guns must be declared at the border. Visitors to Canada who do not declare firearms upon arrival can face seizure, criminal prosecution and deportation from Canada.
At the primary inspection booth, for security and safety reasons, the border services officer may immediately take possession of the pistol, but the declared gun will not be seized.
The traveller will have the option of exporting the firearm under CBSA supervision or abandoning the firearm to the Crown. These options are only available to travellers who declare their firearms.
Most undeclared firearms seized by the CBSA at land border ports of entry in Ontario are personal firearms belonging to travellers arriving from the United States.
The CBSA Southern Ontario Region has seen a steady increase in the number of firearms seized over the past five years.
During a news conference on Thursday morning, CBSA officers displayed a table of recent firearms seized.
