Arizona RVer dodges 3-year jail bullet over Canadian firearms violation

A U.S. citizen should be grateful he has poor health--it kept him out of a potential three year "visit" to a Canadian prison after he tried to enter the country with a cache of undeclared weapons.

Collie Roe, a 66 year-old self-described firearms instructor from Arizona, thought he'd take a shortcut from Michigan to a New York gun show by cutting across Canada. At the border he declared he was carrying four weapons to a gun show. Customs officials must have smelled a rat, because they searched Roe's RV and towed vehicle. In reality, Roe was toting a total of 16 firearms, a loaded handgun in his pocket, and several more--including 9 mm and .45 caliber handguns--all loaded--in the immediate vicinity of his driver seat.

According to the Times Herald of Port Huron, Roe could have spent the mandatory three-year sentence in jail for his convictions on weapons possession, illegal importation, and customs evasions charges. In light of his poor health, a Canadian court rolled his convictions into what in the US is considered a misdemeanor status. Nevertheless, Roe spent three months in jail, had to pay $5,000 to get his RV and toad released, and his weapons will soon be scrap metal.

RVer's Motorhome Impounded Over Canada Gun Violation

The moral of the story may be: Don't lie to the customs folk.

James Yarbro, a church elder from Alabama should have known better than to "fib" about packing a pistol when he and his wife pulled off the ferry in Nova Scotia. The 67 year old had already one chance to come clean: When rolling his motorhome onto the ferry he had to fill out a form that declared he was not carrying a firearm. He checked the box that indicated he wasn't. His last chance was when he spoke to Canadian officials who directly asked if he was carrying a weapon. Nope.

Not quite: Customs officials who inspected Yarbro's motorhome found a .357 magnum in the overhead compartment not far from the driver's seat. That's a no-no north of the Lower 48. Yarbro found out it isn't nice to fib to the officers. Mr. Yarbro's motorhome was impounded by the Maple Leaf officials; Yarbro himself had to appear in the Queen's court to explain his behavior.

After pleading guilty to failing to report his weapon, Yarbro paid a $500 fine. That was far from the end of the matter: He was nicked an additional $500 for failing to safely store the weapon; and to get his motorhome back, Yarbro had to pony up an additional $1,000. It's not clear whether Yarbro ever got his big pistol back. Reporters met the Yarbros at the ferry dock as they headed back to Maine. It might be understandable that when queried about his exploits, Yarbro commented: "I just really don’t want to talk to you anymore," he said. "I want to get home and I don’t want to talk to anybody up here about anything else."

Before carrying a weapon to Canada, visit the official website on these matters.

Updated Websites for Travel in Canada

RV Travel to Canada by Peggi McDonald.

Everything You Need to Know About RV Travel to Canada is on the 'Net someplace, but it takes me a month to pull it all together. And as a Canadian with 22 years of Fulltime RV travel experience, I know what I am looking for.

This E-Book allows your fingers to outline your next trip north of the USA Border. The mega number of websites, phone numbers plus extensive general information in RV Travel to Canada simplifies your planning and adds piece of mind to an RV Adventure in the friendly country to the north.

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Government Websites change frequently - the following are current as of 6 March 2007


Cdn Border Services Agency www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca

Plants and Pets and Food www.inspection.gc.ca

Know Before You Go (USA) www.customs.gov/xp/cgov/travel

Gun Regulations www.cfc-cafc.gc.ca go to ‘Visitors’

RV Road Regulations/towing etc www.rvda.ca/regulations.asp

National Parks www.parkscanada.gc.ca

Federal Tax Rebates www.cra-arc.gc.ca/visitors

Trip Planning Miles/Km www.freetrip.com

Provinces and Cross Border links www.rvliving.net/nalinks.htm

Waiver of Exclusion for Criminal Record DWI (DUI)
www.cic.gc.ca/english/applications/rehabil.html

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Peggi McDonald is webhost of RVLiving.net, the author of RV Travel to Canada E-Book and - see RV Bookstore for details.