And above all, keep an even temperment and don't smart-off about Canada's gun laws. Canada is, after all, a foreign country --- not a "suburb" of the U.S.
Know the limitations and routine well before you go, and be patient with the customs officer even if he or she is abusive or petty.
On my one and only trip to Canada, I didn't even get to open my mouth
before I was instructed to pull over to the inspection station. There, a
Wally Cox look-alike proceeded to give me and my traveling partner the third
degree about how many guns we owned, what type they were, and where
were they all located. After fifteen minutes of that, he proceeded to tear
our vehicle apart, looking for who knows what. Guns, I guess.
He dumped the contents of suitcases on the ground. He made us unload
almost all our tools from the back of the pick-up. We had been working in
Detroit and had decided to drive over to Windsor just to get some "Canada"
tee-shirts for our kids, etc. Bad decision.
After an hour, he decided, I guess, we posed no threat to his lovely
country, so he stamped a form, handed it to me, and walked away.
It took us half an hour to reload our stuff. The only reason we could come
up with for the treatment we got was that we were driving a truck with
Texas license plates. And we only came to that conclusion because every time the Wally uttered the word "Texas" he made an ugly face, as though
just the thought of it disgusted him.
I always believed Canada and the US were friends. That Wally Cox guy
ain't ever gonna be my friend. I can only imagine what might have happened
had I had my 1911 .45 with me, as I did on so many other business trips.
I think the US should just annex Canada. Make it the 51st state.
Does that make me arrogant? Not any more than The Wally was to me.
Walter