The Canada Border Services Agency is raising awareness of its firearms campaign which is geared toward American travellers.
A US resident was recently fined $1,000 for failing to declare his .40 calibre pistol at the Coutts border crossing.
CBSA Communications Officer, Luke Reimer, says officers seized 40 firearms at southern Alberta border crossings last year and 53 the year before.
So far this year there have been 36 firearms seized.
Reimer says penalties for not declaring firearms at the border can be quite significant with offences falling under the Canada Customs Act as well as the Criminal Code.
The main message from the CBSA to American travellers is to, if possible, leave your firearms at home but if that’s not an option, then they need to be declared at the border, have necessary permits and be stored properly.