Canada solutions needed

[zzzippper]

We will be taking a road trip to Montana and I would like to carry on the trip. Here is the snag. We would like to pop over the Canadian border for less than a day, just a few hours really, and I know I can't take the gun. Would a PD hold it? I hate to get them involved as it might be hard to get it back. Would the border crossing personnel hold it? Better just to leave it home?

 

[steelslaver]

You will find that most of the PD in Montana have no problem with guns and I highly doubt it would be a problem for them to hold it for you. Montana is a very gun friendly state and if you went to a PD or sheriffs office and asked I bet they would gladly oblige and wouldn't hassle you at all. You don't even need a permit to have a loaded pistol in your car in Montana. Not uncommon at all. All the border towns are small and pretty relaxed and easy going. If you know which town you are going to depart from I might be able to help. My brother in law has a sporting goods/optical shop on the high line. Glasses and guns in one spot. LOL

 

[zzzippper]

How about Scobey on what looks like state hwy 13?

 

[steelslaver]

Scobey is out of my range of travel, but, I could ask my next door neighbor, who is a deputy sheriff what he thinks and if he knows anyone in that area. I think it would be fine. Scobey only has a little over 1,000 people and everyone knows everyone. Small Montana town LEOs are usually very friendly and helpful. Let me ask my neighbor his opinion first but, you could call and ask the Daniels Co. Sheriff (406) 487-2691 (Daniels County Chamber Of Commerce)
The sheriffs in Montana pretty much run their county and they generally run them as the people of the county want them run and if they are jerks they don't get reelected.You might have to drop them off and pick them up during the day because in some of the small counties there is nobody on duty at night and in the unlikely event of a crime you have to wake up the local law. I don't know about now but, many of tthe small border crossings are closed at night anyway.

For that matter, while the sheriffs office would probably be best, my experience is you could probably drop them off somewhere like the local gas station and pick them up later. Montanans are as a whole are very willing to help people and very casual about guns. If you got a motel room you could probably just leave them at the office. If you have a business in a small Montana town and aren't honest and helpful you won't have a business very long.

 

[gdnagle]

You will find that most of the PD in Montana have no problem with guns and I highly doubt it would be a problem for them to hold it for you. Montana is a very gun friendly state and if you went to a PD or sheriffs office and asked I bet they would gladly oblige and wouldn't hassle you at all. You don't even need a permit to have a loaded pistol in your car in Montana. Not uncommon at all. All the border towns are small and pretty relaxed and easy going. If you know which town you are going to depart from I might be able to help. My brother in law has a sporting goods/optical shop on the high line. Glasses and guns in one spot. LOL

I think I would contact the PD before I did the trip, and if OK, get a contact point. Might not work out well if you just show up and want to leave a firearm with them without advanced notice, you may not make it to Canada. If that doesn't work maybe a LGS or something like that.

 

[Doug M.]

Can't use an LGS, as if they take in a gun it has to go on the books and they could not give it back to him since he is not a Montana resident. A forum member would be one of the better choices, as would some form of commercial storage locker.

 

[OFT II]

Have you thought about a safety deposit box at the local bank?

 

[zzzippper]

I'm not a resident and would only need it for a few hours. That coupled with a border crossing would look suspicious if somehow put together.

 

[Doug M.]

This is a serious exception to my usual practice of doing ask, don't tell, but for that concern, the answer is to explain it to the bank manager as you do it. I'm not sure which would be the bigger risk, but it's your concern, not mine.

 

[feralmerril]

Any pawn shops in those towns? I aint above using unconventional methods like meeting a local preacher or whatever it takes, but the one thing I wouldnt do is try hiding it in a vehicle.

 

[Springfeildkid585]

Bring your own lock box, leave it in your hotel room. That's how I'd do it anyway. The maid would have to be a special kind of stupid to steal it and I would leave the "Do not disturb" hanger on the door.

 

[pineappleshooter]

You could also rent a locker at an airport/bus depot/train station if there any close to where you are crossing.

 

[K1500]

Stash it in the woods under a rotten hollow log. Leave a note on the very off chance someone finds it, explaining you will be back to retrieve them when you return from Canada.

 

[steelslaver]

Scobey has just over 1000 people. No train, bus or real airport and its all wheat fields so no woods. It might have a gun shop, but probably no pawn shop and the kicker is its probably the biggest place around for about 70 or 80 miles.

 

[xcop]

gun

I doubt any police or sheriff's dept will hold your gun. Since they are close to the border they have probably been asked this before. They don't want to setup a policy of becoming a gun drop off and hold station. I can tell you from experience that when we had residents going to Canada via Washington state the agency accepting the gun immediately boxed it and shipped it to us. We entered it as property identifying the owner who then would pick it up on return. The owner was charged for shipping when he handed the weapon over. Rent a hotel room farther away that has an in room safe it wont be more than shipping charges

 

[islamoradamark]

how about burying it in a waterproof container just dont forget where. or just dont bring it at all im sure you will not be going to any high risk areas. or at least you hope your not good luck have fun on trip

 

[steelslaver]

I talked to my neighbor the deputy sheriff. He said that although they haven't got any provision for storing a gun for somebody here, the sheriffs office in Scobey might help a guy out if you called them. If not at their office they might know a place. We are a long ways from the border here and nobody here has any need to hand over a gun. He did laugh and say here everybody has a gun and nobody thinks anything about it. He hasn't gone across himself in years.

 

[nawilson]

You will find that most of the PD in Montana have no problem with guns and I highly doubt it would be a problem for them to hold it for you. Montana is a very gun friendly state and if you went to a PD or sheriffs office and asked I bet they would gladly oblige and wouldn't hassle you at all. You don't even need a permit to have a loaded pistol in your car in Montana. Not uncommon at all. All the border towns are small and pretty relaxed and easy going. If you know which town you are going to depart from I might be able to help. My brother in law has a sporting goods/optical shop on the high line. Glasses and guns in one spot. LOL

Dang, I like the sound of Montana! If only it wasn't so cold...

 

[sac-gunslinger]

All the border towns are small and pretty relaxed and easy going.

My son served his mission in Montana, all small towns. He wants to go back, misses the people there.

 

[Thunderhawk88]

We will be facing the same situation later this year in traveling to Boston and back. We want to jump over the border for a day to see Niagara Falls, and plan on locking our carry guns in a the gun-vault from our truck in our hotel room.