r/canadaguns • u/shaunderford • 20d ago
Application / Regulation advice Traffic stop
Hello just wondering if I’m legally transporting a firearm (non restricted) and I am pulled over by a police officer am i under obligation to inform the officer i have a firearm in the vehicle?
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u/RyanTheRooster 20d ago
Short answer is No.
If i remember the long answer is, unless they ask, and even then, they likely wont ask unless you have a super obvious rifle bag in the passenger seat.
So keep it short and sweet, dont give anyone any information they dont need to know.
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u/boozefiend3000 20d ago
If they ask you should tell the truth. Don’t ever voluntarily give them information though
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u/VirtualBridge7 19d ago
If they ask you, you should not answer that question as you have every right not to. All you have to do is to provide insurance, registration, driving license, breath sample if ordered. You are not obligated to provide any of these either: where you are coming from, where you are going, what you are doing here, what speed were you going, who is with you in the vehicle, what you do for work, none of that stuff, i.e. nothing for the cop to write about in his report. Just say calmly and politely that you prefer to remain silent or such. People need to stop talking themselves into trouble. You might think you can talk yourself out of a ticket, but it is an illusion. Understand that all this chit-chat is simply gathering the evidence and gaining reasonable grounds for further investigation. Know your rights, use them.
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u/wyenotry 19d ago
Thanks for the info! There’s a lot of US YouTube shorts etc that might be misleading for Canadians when they are stopped. I honestly don’t know if everything you said is 100% accurate but it’s my job to verify.
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u/Luciferwannab 19d ago
Do you have to take a breath test? Or is it like the states where you can deny field sobriety tests?
P:S - I’m not glorifying the states, i just watch a lot of body cam footage and was wondering.8
u/ItchYouCannotReach 19d ago
You have to provide a breath sample, roadside to an approved screening device and to an approved instrument later if a criminal impaired investigation is started. If you say no you will be arrested and charged with refusal. Refusal carries the same penalty as blowing over but it's way easier to convict you on refusal than it is on blowing over.
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u/escv_69420 19d ago
It's the same. You can say no, then get arrested on vibes and exonerated (or not) based on blood work taken at the station.
Source: My crippled, lung cancer having father had this happen to him the other day. Pigs blocked his truck in at the beer store, hassled him, physically dragged him out of the vehicle causing injury, and forced him to blow. He physically couldn't because he's got like 16% lung capacity and they thought he was lying in spite of showing them his massive hoard of meds and prescriptions. He has a little backpack O2 generator thing too and they wouldn't let him keep using during the stop. They dragged him down to the station and did blood work. Came out 0.00 I had to drive 90min to come get him. I've never been that angry in my life.
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u/PatsNeg-CH 19d ago
Failure to provide a sample is its own criminal offence in Canada, so an unequivocal refusal just means no breath sample/blood sample and carries the same punishment as being impaired.
A demand for a sample using an approved roadside screening device can be made with no grounds/suspicion required, police can ask literally every single driver they pull over to blow if they are so inclined. The mandatory demand has already been upheld by the Supreme Court, so theres no exoneration in court if you are refusing to provide a sample.
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u/escv_69420 19d ago
That's cool, I stand corrected.
TIL abhorrent pigs can use our bullshit laws to beat up 77 year old, broke, cancer ridden, disabled citizens for fun. ACAB.
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u/i-Hermit 19d ago
Sounds like you got some really green cops or bad apples. Thought about a formal complaint, with a sincere letter to their supervisor shaming their humanity and apparent lack of common sense and critical thinking skills?
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u/h3IIfir3pho3nix N E R F G U N S 19d ago
You are not under any obligation to answer questions during a traffic stop.
All you have to do is tell them who you are and provide identification/insurance. And in some provinces you need to take a breathalyzer test.
For anything else the response is "I'm sorry officer, I don't answer questions on the side of the road."
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u/ThrowRA_That_Owl_25 19d ago
No, dont need to lie, just refuse to answer as that is not a reason for the stop.
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u/Geralt-of-Rivai 20d ago
Nope. And I wouldn't recommend it, you're just opening yourself up to more trouble, a cop that could be set out to nail you with something and cause you grief. Now if they ask if you have any weapons, firearms in the vehicle don't lie. You can say I have a valid PAL and I have my non restricted firearms in my vehicle. Do not offer to show them or let them see them. If they want to you can say they can follow you to a gun store/range where it's safe to open them up but never volunteer to handle firearms at the roadside. If they want you to step out and do a search of your vehicle themselves they need to have just cause, they don't have an automatic right to search your vehicle just because you are a PAL owner during a routine traffic stop. Keep it out of plain view and keep your right to remain silent
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u/cartman101 19d ago
Funnily enough, you don't even need to keep your unrestricteds out of plain sight. You could have your 12 gauge on your dash, and it should be ok
But here's a pro tip my firearm instructor gave us. In rural Alberta, the cop is probably fully aware of firearms rights, laws, and the culture. He might just ask to see your PAL and compliment your gun.
In Downtown Ottawa however...you might way more hastle, just cuz it's unusual.
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u/AgreeablePanda9805 19d ago
Yah I recall our instructor telling us he could walk each of his non-restricted guns out to his vehicle in full sight. If they are unloaded and proven safe you can just carry them out to the car. But he said, it’s more hassle to deal with the cop that gets called by multiple people about a guy with multiple long guns, even if what you’re doing is totally legal.
So covering your guns in the back or trunk of the car is best practice.
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u/ThrowRA_That_Owl_25 19d ago
However, we should be normalizing legal behaviour with firearms, and not hiding from the public. It is called educating the public. Instead, we are hiding like we are criminals. Well, is it any surprise we are being treated as such?
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u/AgreeablePanda9805 19d ago
It’s one thing to normalize legal behaviour vs what’s appropriate. I don’t think in an urban setting it is appropriate to be carrying rifles and shotguns out of a conference centre to your car. Maybe if you live in a rural community and you need your gun for protection from wildlife it’s normal to carry it openly into your car. But in the GTA, I honestly would be alarmed if I saw someone just carrying a shotgun openly and I’m licensed.
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u/ThrowRA_That_Owl_25 19d ago
Appropriate is a matter of taste or feeling. Why do you think people are afraid of perfectly legal behaviour/activity? They are ignorant and rely on their feelings. Ok. Lets just ditch the law and live our lives based on feelings? Your feelings are your problem and thats why we need to educate the public.
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u/AgreeablePanda9805 19d ago
Guns are weapons. There’s no debating that. And it’s silly to expect people to get over the feelings they have if they see someone walking around with a weapon in a setting where it is not required (like just open carry in a parking lot of a conference centre).
There is what is legal and what is just basic reality of most people’s reactions.
A gun being seen at a range, or in the woods, or rural communities, or in open carry states in the US? That’s a totally different context than seeing a weapon in an urban setting in Canada where it is much more difficult to acquire a gun and there is very little rational for openly carrying a firearm you have no intent of using and no real purpose for openly carrying around.Responsible gun owners recognize how the general public feels about seeing guns. And you don’t need to flaunt your guns around in public to educate people out of their feelings.
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u/ThrowRA_That_Owl_25 19d ago
Blah blah blah.....my feelings.
Even in the States 2nd Ammendment auditors are educating the public on legalitiea of open carry.
We are lost, and you are a good indicator as to why.
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u/Goliad1990 19d ago edited 19d ago
In Downtown Ottawa however
In downtown Ottawa, SWAT will be called, and there is a high probability that you don't leave the vehicle alive.
A lot of the City of Ottawa is actually rural though, and has municipal land zoned for hunting and firearm discharge. In those areas, you might as well be in Red Deer
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u/grathontolarsdatarod 19d ago
I was out in crown land and there was a single conservation officer doing a check point, pretty far into the only road in. Seemed like he was doing a check for firearms. Cause that was basically his first question of consequence.
He got us out of the vehicle to have a look (we didn't refuse) and he went through about half a dozen firearms each that we had brought to play with. He asked about and searched for restricted and then we talked about the firearms we had and we'd be going and if we were staying the night. Crown shooting was basically our only menu item for the day.
I was aspiring for my first hunt at the time and he had experience so I actually had a lot of questions for him, we were probably stopped for about half an hour before we kept on.
We even commented on him being alone. He said that they have good radios and most people are just like us.
Another year, me and the same guy met at a coffee shop to transfer firearms we were lending each other. And that should have been CLEAR for anyone watching unless you'd ever even seen a gear bag or know a manufacturer. There was a gaggle of RCMP just the row of car over having a confab and watched us do everything. We just waved, my buddy stayed with the cars and I went to get coffees. Stayed for a little visit like we had planned. Not a pip for them. They cleared out before our visit was over.
Also got pulled over, alone, moving stuff from a storage unit near a protest. Fine. He asked my questions about my exhaust. When then wanted in the cargo area. I paused and smiled. I told him I was moving things from my storage unit but told him "sure". There were two pieces of brass about deck and he asked about them. I saw them and told that I probably missed them from being out of crownland. I pointed out that one of the pieces of brass was for a wildcat round that you actually can't buy in Canada and put that one in my pocket. He took my information and I was on my way.
Those are all my experiences. There is a lot of potential for things to go weird if the cop is weird, and highly dependent on where you are and what's going on.
The last one was kind of annoying. But i figured that since there was a huge protest nearby, they gonna do what they are out there for.
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u/ThrowRA_That_Owl_25 19d ago
You let that CO violate your rights 🙄 because you didnt mind. FFS.
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u/grathontolarsdatarod 19d ago
The check point was a bit odd to me. My guess is that they were looking for a specific type of people and probably based off a complaint. I drove a real bush pig at the time for that kind of stuff.
There was a rash of poaching happening at that time, and also the area had been recently "discovered" by covid apartment dwellers.
COs are odd to me, but I know their powers of seizure are not to be triffled with.
But I get what you mean.
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u/Additional_Fold_1350 17d ago
CO's arent all that bad, though alot of them I run into are young bucks fresh out of training.
Ive educated a few of them on transport through the years. Had one guy even ask to shoot my crossbow when he seen a crossbow target out with me during hunting season one time. He had never shot a crossbow so we pulled up to a cutline down the road, set the target 20 yards down and shot for 20mins. Then he asked if I actually had a hunting license and checked it LOL. CO's most of the time are just people, lots of them are hunters and gun guys too.
I have no problem chatting guns and bows with them during hunting season, or even trading flies come fishing season. I tie my own so usually give out quite a few during the season, much more than what I lose. Ive only ever had CO's check my lisence fishing if they can see me from the road though, and my preference is high mountain streams and issolated no name creeks in the Alberta foothills. It's rare to see anyone let alone CO's which is why I like it. Id rather drive 3hrs to get to my spots, shooting/hunting/fishing than go run into people during the day. Which is sort of why my 17yearold and I are going to start sheep hunting next year.
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u/Muted-Garden6723 19d ago
Exactly this, I’ve walked down the road carrying a gun in my hand and my only interaction with police has been them waving as they drove by. But I live in rural Nova Scotia where theres a gun in every home. I’d imagine i would get a different reaction if I lived in a more populated area
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u/Additional_Fold_1350 17d ago
Grew up in Cape Breton back when we could have gun racks in our trucks. Use to take my shotgun to school every day during bird season. Even before I drove we would take guns broken down on the school bus, then locked in the proncipals office in a cabinate for the day. USe to have a 2km walk to and from my bus stop with a bunch of old apple trees scattered in field we would hut for grouse.
People are shocked and dont even believe this was ral or even a thing these days. I had an old boss who lived in ST.Albert just NW of Edmonton who had similar stories about hunting ducks in the marsh/lake which is within the city now. He would openly walk city streets with his 12ga heading duck hunting after school when he was even 12-14 years old at the time.
Different times, when common sense wasnt extinct.
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u/Muted-Garden6723 17d ago
Times are a changing forsure
I’m only 22, and I can remember as a kid we used to go target shooting in my friends backyard since his house was surrounded by woods, technically illegal in NS but the one time a cop stopped in he just told us to stop being dumb and wear hearing protection when shooting
Then a few years ago we got a bunch of people from Toronto moving in the area and they didn’t like the target shooting, now the only time you can get away with shooting in your yard is in New Year’s Eve.
I don’t except to be able to walk anywhere with a gun in a few years without getting harassed by cops
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u/Additional_Fold_1350 17d ago edited 17d ago
My Dad was RCMP growing up, we use to shoot a few hundred rounds of 308 in our back yard all the time, hunting season or not. Knew all the neighbors and nobody had an issue with it. If I ever go back ill probably keep shooting on a piece of land I have up the road from the old house, but will just shoot CCI quiets, the segmented ones at 750fps are so quiet people think my faux suppressor is real anyways lol
But I hear you about Ontario people moving down, my mothers been having a nightmare with them and her dogs who havent been chained in thier life. THey stay on her property but charge the fence line when these folks are mowing the lawn at the edge of her pasture. Dogs wont cross the fence line and only bark at them because they are terrified of the dogs. They were threatning to sue for mental anguish over it. But then they did a bunch of grading which flooded out some of her land. Being an Environmentlal consultant myself, I drafted up a nice letter to the NB government about it. Neighbors got slapped with a hefty fine under provincial law, and were also charged with filling in wetlands on thier land along with not having permits for thier new garage. They had to remediate thier changes in drainage and pay wetland compensation for the infilled wetlands, which between the two cost them more than $70k, and the county made them tear down thier new 3 car garage as they didnt respect an environemental easement.
They wont even talk to my mother anymore, and she told me last week that the place is up for sale. Thought they could push arround a 74 yearold country woman as they were smarter and from Ottawa, guess they under estimated what us country bumpkins can do if pushed too hard. Two can play thier games, half my job is digging through regulations to keep my clients compliant, and find loopholes when they brought me in too late. Ive worked with many who were shut down for environmental compliance through the years and helped them navigate the processes to get them compliant and back in business so I can easily work both sides and weaponize the laws against those who think they are better than us all.
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u/i-Hermit 19d ago
Man, how rural are we talking here? Also from NS and am struggling to think of a place where this would happen.
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u/Muted-Garden6723 19d ago
Along the Eastern shore
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u/i-Hermit 19d ago
In HRM? Or further up?
Edit: not trying to pry, I just find it legit surprising in this climate.
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u/Muted-Garden6723 19d ago
Further up, guysborough county. The cops tend to be pretty laid back in general, and are pretty good when it comes to guns, I’ve never had any issue carrying or transporting a gun. During hunting season it’s pretty common to see people walking on the road with a gun to get into the woods
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u/scottsuplol 17d ago
Technically not true, unsecured items on a dash being it’s obstructed vision and a safety issue
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u/MrWrock 19d ago
I wonder if the rules are different for conservation officers or if I was overly cooperative, but I've been pulled over a few times and they asked to inspect the action and chamber of each firearm in the vehicle to make sure they were unloaded.
This was while I was hunting
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u/Geralt-of-Rivai 19d ago
Yeah Conservation Authorities have different powers , they are able to inspect a vehicle and inspect firearms for compliance with game laws. They can open trunks, containers, coolers etc. to make sure your not hiding a moose or a bear anywhere
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u/chaoz2001 19d ago
He is not giving great advice. They don't need to follow you to a store. It is not safer to play with guns outside a gun shop/range then where ever the police officer with his flashing blue/red lights decides to.
If they want to check chambers of a non restricted, ask them how to proceed and handle to guns the least amount possible. I show them where the gun is. Ask permission for ever step. If they push back tell them you don't feel comfortable with a firearm in your hand during a police stop.
If it is restricted I tell them that it is illegal for me to open the case anywhere except home/residence or a range or place listed on a ATT. Then offer them the keys/combo to check themselves. If I get any push back I just follow their directions. Asking permission for each step.
Just wait until you are flying with firearms and the check in agent asks you to open the pistol case and pick up a handgun in the center of the airport check in line and show them its unloaded. They have no idea what a unloaded handgun looks like. Or the airline policy is asking someone to violate federal law. After that when you go to oversize bag drop if the x ray machine has issues they will ask you to open your case again. There they at least will call a RCMP officer to watch you open it.
Its a shitty situation but these situations were not considered when making the firearms laws. You just have to navigate them the best you can.
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u/Goliad1990 19d ago
If they want to check chambers of a non restricted
If they insist on chamber checking my gun, they can do it themselves. I'm not handling a firearm in front of a cop, I don't have a death wish.
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u/MrWrock 19d ago
The COs insisted on handling it themselves, but allowed me to give them a hand with the bolt release
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u/Goliad1990 19d ago
A CO is different. They're going out into the bush expecting to encounter people legally carrying loaded guns every day. A beat cop in the city is not, and I don't need one ripping me a new 9mm asshole because he got startled by the slide lock or something
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u/Geralt-of-Rivai 19d ago
Yeah that was my point, I'm not handling a firearm in front of an officer unless I'm on a gun range
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u/ThrowRA_That_Owl_25 19d ago
But why???? Just refuse to answer any questions outside of the initial stop, and even then...
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u/NorthwindX7 20d ago
Runkle of the bailey YouTube channel. Ian has done a video on this it's very worth watching.
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u/airchinapilot 20d ago
No. Unless you are specifically asked there is no reason to complicate what could be a routine traffic stop.
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u/Far_Art5484 20d ago
You can always decline to answer questions, probably the better route
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u/airchinapilot 20d ago
Ian Runkle does say decline to answer. I understand the reason behind it. You don't want to consent to something that gives them the opening to find any infraction. In the end, the police either have the power and reason to detain you and work for it or they don't and the officer might just send you on your way because they judge it's not worth it.
I'm not going to argue one way or another. I trust his legal opinion.
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u/RcNorth al 20d ago
Declining to answer any questions will make you look guilty and possibly a full search of your vehicle.
It is best succinctly tell the truth.
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u/Far_Art5484 20d ago edited 20d ago
Thats not true at all. Police can't just choose to search your vehicle. They require a warrant or probable cause of a specific crime, and that the evidence can be destroyed in the time it takes to obtain a warrant.
Theyre also required to tell you the reason they pulled you over when asked.
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u/External-Ferret-9013 19d ago
Probable cause can be invented on the spot, or retroactively.
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u/airchinapilot 19d ago edited 18d ago
But if they just made it up it will come out in court and that would help you in any case they are trying to make on you
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u/External-Ferret-9013 19d ago
I agree with you, the general advice should be "don't volounteer the information, but be truthful if asked". The idea is to manage the encounter with the armed, emotionally unstable moron (who's already motivated to ruin your day) as safely as possible. Playing the "I'm not answering questions/I dont consent to searches" is a perfectly legal strategy, but is not going to unsmash your window.
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u/Muted-Garden6723 19d ago
Depends heavily on where you live. If you live somewhere where guns are normal, you’re probably better off just saying you’ve got a gun as the cop will likely be aware of the laws surrounding transportation
But quite frankly most cops out there do not have a thorough understanding of firearms laws
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u/yukukaze233 19d ago
last time I got pulled over i got like 4 just laying on the rear seats, horsey popo didn't even care lol
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u/weneedafuture 20d ago
INAL, anecdotal and shallow advice based on talk at the club: it's a double edged sword and purely down to the cop's knowledge and comfort with legal firearm owners.
I don't believe there is any obligation to notify, unless the stop is related to the firearms in question, and if the cop asks directly.
If the cop asks where you're going, and you say the range or home after the range, you can assume the next question.
If you proffer the information, obviously make sure you're transporting legally as you should be anyways, and be ready to demonstrate safe and legal transport.
Restricted firearms can be a bit tricky, as the range talk is always bring extra zip ties to double up as locks in case an over-zealous cop cuts your lock and leaves you in a legal predicament.
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u/Low-HangingFruit 19d ago
Been pulled over for speeding, cop saw hunting gear asked how it went but never asked about guns.
Each time a CO pulls me over (I keep running into them all over my province, not doing anything wrong just regular inspections) they instantly go for the guns.
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u/ptv83 18d ago
No, it's lawful and doesn't pose any threat to anyone.
Sometimes a cop will ask "where you headed in such a hurry" if you're speeding or failed to stop at a stop sign.
You don't have to answer that either, just apologize without admitting guilt with "oh I'm sorry I didn't notice I hadn't fully stopped, it felt like I was completely stopped when I was trying to see down to the left there and I had to peak a bit."
Or "sorry officer, I was sure I had the cruise set on the limit, they last sign I saw was (insert correct speed limit here)"
You catch more bees with honey and you get more warnings with perceived remorse & being polite.
Follow the same type of example if an officer asks about a visible case in your car, you can tell them you bought it for (insert non-restricted firearm here), which is true and then ask them if they have any firearms themselves. (Asking about a women on a date or a cop at stop works the same, you get their approval).
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u/LongRoadNorth 19d ago
The answer to any question with a cop should be, am I being detained? am I free to go?
They are not your friend and talking to them is never to your favor.
As little conversation and detail as possible is the best way to talk to a cop
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u/8x56isfmj000 19d ago
Just STFU, some people instantly pee themselves when the pigs interact with them.
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u/westleysnipes604 19d ago
I was told you're better off telling them before they are ginna search. But there's. Nothing wrong with omitting the fact you have firearms unril they ask you if you do or are acting like they are gonna search you. I was also told to never unlock my gun case for a cop to verify if it is legslly stored. If they don't trust that the gun is legally stored when the caee is locked as per Canadian law then they might trx and jimmY the trigger lock. We all know that someties they are finicky and might just slide off. You're better off them breaking into the case in this case because many cops dont know the laws as well as you might think.
I have 2 experiences with police while I had firearms in m car.
Example 1.
Pulled over for no lights. Cop asks me if I have anything illegal in my car which I reply no and mention I'm on my way back from skeet shooting.
Cop asks to see my gun ( mossberg 590 marine, the long mag tube version)
When he sees the soft case he gets a bit excited and asks me, I shit you not
"Is it sawed off? " lol
Shows how little many cops know about guns and our gun laws.
Example 2
I had a dead car battery at the range and my cell had no service but I could still call emergency however.
I reluctantly called 911 and asked them to get me a tow truck to jump me. I debated hitch hiking home but I didn't wanna leave guns in my car or hitch with them. I beleive it was a B&T TP9 and maybe a GHM9 or Glock. 2 small cases.
The dispatcher said she needed to send an officer and asked me to stand away from my car with my hands visable.
2 cops in 2 cars showed up. One (Sargent) I knew really well and he left basically when he saw it was me.
Thr officer basically asked what was up and I told him I figured calling 911 qas better then leaving guns in my car at the gun range parking lot. The range is a keylock gate on a highway.
He asks me if the guns are stored legally and I tell him yes.
That was it. He didn't ask to check.
I was releived as my range is in a rural area where 99% of shooters are sighting in hunting rifles. So a TP9 is definately out of place there.
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u/Br7ian 19d ago edited 19d ago
Absolutely not.
And in fact it’s a good way to piss off a cop. It went from simple admin to potentially way more paperwork they don’t want or have time for. If they ask, be honest. If not.. keep the conversation relevant to why you were stopped.
It’s different in the US where concealed carry is common.
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u/sonichanxiao 17d ago
not sure if it is true, I was told cops can see you have a pal maybe because of Restricted firearm registration if they run your license.
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u/scottsuplol 17d ago
I’ve been pulled over with my rifles in the back. You don’t need to declare them or anything. I always have them on the back bench of my truck so I just roll down all the windows (mainly because I have illegal tints) and if they ask them I inform them. Other than that no need to bring it up especially when they’re all locked up and secure
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u/givemehellll al 20d ago
As other have said, you’re under no obligation, however if it’s visible or evident that you have one, it’s probably not a bad idea to let them know. They’ll make sure it’s transported safely, and have a PAL, then send you on your way.
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20d ago
[deleted]
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u/LongRoadNorth 19d ago
Legal means get a warrant.
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u/ItchYouCannotReach 19d ago
If you have unstamped cigarettes in plain view your vehicle can searched without warrant. Same with drugs in plainview
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u/Ok-Community-3922 20d ago
None of their business. If they want to search, decline permission and make them articulate PC to a justice of the peace.
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u/Same-Matter-2368 20d ago
As soon as you got pulled over that Cop enter your lic plate in his laptop your name is already flagged as firearm owner. But don’t say anything voluntarily unless asked and keep answers short and be polite.
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20d ago
[deleted]
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u/Gloomy-Grocery6562 20d ago
If you can't think of/see a reason even one after a minute of thinking, then you clearly have no idea how police operate in this country lol.
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u/steeltown82 19d ago
If I'm being pulled over because I broke a traffic law, first thing I'm going to do is tell them I have a gun in my car. I'll also be very polite and respectful.
I want to do everything in my power to get a warning instead of a ticket.
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u/_MlCE_ 20d ago
"Hello officer, I have a firearm."