Arma Borealis, an Alaska blog, has some pretty good discussion on the effects of the Canadian Long Gun Registry for Americans traveling through Canada. Apparently the long gun registration requirement had a very negative effect on Americans traveling to the great white north for hunting trips, into the 4 to 5 billion dollar lost range.
Keep in mind that the requirement did not ban Americans from hunting in Canada, they just had to register their long arms and obtain a 50 dollar license. The license fee is peanuts compared to the cost of a Canadian hunting trip, so if that many hunters, to the tune of billions of dollars, were unwilling to register their hunting guns, it should offer our opponents an example of why they will have such a hard time getting registration. There are certainly hunters out there who meet the classic definition of “fudd,” but there are also many, probably more, who have no more enthusiasm for registration than most hard core gun rights activists.
The world’s first sniper rifle and the very symbol of American independence is . . . a squirrel gun. I see no inherent disconnect between hunters and gun rights activists.
The right to hunt is the right to life.
There was a good comment from a Canuck about America’s import laws, so I have a few posts coming up on that issue.
It seems my Canada posts always spur the most interest!
What personally kept me from trying to bring long guns with me was the concern that I’d be turned away from the border and denied registration. That would have thrown a monkey wrench in the trip. I mean, what do you do at that point? Destroy the weapon and then drive on, or turn back for good, I guess.