Asked for PAL at Toronto Airport

colinmatchett

colinmatchett

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I was returning from an Alberta hunting trip and had a 7 hour after midnight layover in Toronto.

I had to retrieve my bags and firearm and recheck them before boarding for the final leg of the journey to New Brunswick. When I dropped the bags at the oversize baggage dropoff, I showed the the lady my boarding pass and yellow slip (firearms/ammunition declaration). She asked me if I was Canadian and I said yes. She then asked me for identification. I pulled out my passport and the lady said she needed to see my PAL/POL. I asked why and she said that people flying with firearms need to be checked to see if they are allowed to have them. It was 530 am and I was tired and I did point out that nowhere in the IATA or Air Canada guidelines did it mention this. She replied that it has been policy for years. Anyway, I told here she was wrong but showed her my PAL so I could go to the gate.

Anyone else ever have this experience? It's bad enough Air Canada charges a $50 handling fee + a $20 oversize baggage fee for firearms. Any comments?
 
Laugh.. sounds ridiculous. You're right though, it doesn't hurt to just flash the plastic and be on your way. Not to mention, the fact is, they have the right to serve whomever they want. It may not be good to business to harass segments of the population, but it is their business (to fiscally mismanage and then get bailed out over and over again with tax dollars, but that's another topic).
 
they're just doing their job, show your PAL, it's not gonna kill you.
Sometimes us gun owners, and I'm guilty of this at times also, feel we are mistreated and
not afforded the rights as citizens to rightfully bear our arms. In your particular circumstance it may not have been called for but it is their job, and at least they're doing it. Would you rather have our "system" or be like our friends to the south where anything seems to go?
just my .02$
 
emidyl said:
they're just doing their job, show your PAL, it's not gonna kill you.
Sometimes us gun owners, and I'm guilty of this at times also, feel we are mistreated and
not afforded the rights as citizens to rightfully bear our arms. In your particular circumstance it may not have been called for but it is their job, and at least they're doing it. Would you rather have our "system" or be like our friends to the south where anything seems to go?
just my .02$
Click to expand...
It's just their job and they are doing it?
Seems to me I've heard that phrase before...hmmm...oh yeah Nuremburg!
One gets the feeling that according to the Association of Police Chiefs quotes that get bandied about, that less civil liberties is a good thing for gun owners.
I mean if you have nothing to hide...what's wrong with CC camera's in your gun room, right?
Whoa!
Sorry, kinda slipped into Conspiracy Theory mode there.
I'm better now, LOL
 
The folks at Air Canada have always been a piece of work.
Many years ago my Dad and were flying north to goose hunt. At the Air Canada check in the lady asked to see our shotguns to make sure they were unloaded. So I opened the gun case for her which were laying on the floor in front of her station at the time.
She very quickly looked down at the gun and said thank you thats fine. I asked how she could tell that the gun wasn't loaded?, she replied that she could see the trigger. And if you can see the trigger on a gun it definitely can not be loaded.!!!

You can not argue, and should never argue with these very knowledable folks. So we carried on on way and proceeded to have a good flight north and hunt.

I have a good laugh every time I go through an Air Canada check in knowing what competant hands Iam in.
 
airport.

Don't recall being asked for my PAL and I've flown dozens of times between BC and Alberta with firearms. The strangest situation I had was last year when flying out of Edmonton. The lady at oversized baggaged asked me if my rifle had been fired recently?
I said no, hadnt seen anything big enough.
She said she has to do random tests to see if guns have been fired and tells me to open my hardcase.
She has a swab with some clear liquid she puts on it and is about to rub on the barrel.
I said that better not damage the bluing.
She said no it wont. It will show if has been fired.
I said so what if it had? I was hunting after all.
She said I dont know why, only that I have to check.
She said "whew, it hasnt been fired". Good thing 'cause I dont know what I was to do if it had been. You are free to go.
I said, that's great. I feel much safer now!!
Cheers
Geoff
 
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mrgoat said:
The folks at Air Canada have always been a piece of work.
Many years ago my Dad and were flying north to goose hunt. At the Air Canada check in the lady asked to see our shotguns to make sure they were unloaded. So I opened the gun case for her which were laying on the floor in front of her station at the time.
She very quickly looked down at the gun and said thank you thats fine. I asked how she could tell that the gun wasn't loaded?, she replied that she could see the trigger. And if you can see the trigger on a gun it definitely can not be loaded.!!!

You can not argue, and should never argue with these very knowledable folks. So we carried on on way and proceeded to have a good flight north and hunt.

I have a good laugh every time I go through an Air Canada check in knowing what competant hands Iam in.
Click to expand...

Probably six or seven years ago I was told to demonstrate that a Swiss Arms PE90 (might have been my RobArm M96, but think it was the PE90) was unloaded to Air Canada staff that didn't know how to check. They asked me to do it at the check in counter, in the airport, in front of everybody. I didn't want further delays and replied something along the lines of "As long as this doesn't get me shot.". I picked up the gun, cleared it, some eyes bulged, and I think they realized that wasn't the best way to do it, and I was on my way AOK. Still an odd memory holding a gun that looks like that in a departures terminal.
 
Ardent said:
Probably six or seven years ago I was told to demonstrate that a Swiss Arms PE90 (might have been my RobArm M96, but think it was the PE90) was unloaded to Air Canada staff that didn't know how to check. They asked me to do it at the check in counter, in the airport, in front of everybody. I didn't want further delays and replied something along the lines of "As long as this doesn't get me shot.". I picked up the gun, cleared it, some eyes bulged, and I think they realized that wasn't the best way to do it, and I was on my way AOK. Still an odd memory holding a gun that looks like that in a departures terminal.
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That is possibly the best airport story I've read, I wish I was there!

Colin how'd your hunting trip go? Hopefully it was alot more enjoyable then your layover.
 
live4therut said:
That is possibly the best airport story I've read, I wish I was there!

Colin how'd your hunting trip go? Hopefully it was alot more enjoyable then your layover.
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Hunt was great. Didn't shoot anything this trip (except for coyotes). Seen a lot of animals but nothing I wanted to kill. Due to schedules, I only hunted 3 days. Going for 6 next year.
 
Best one I had was Flying from Toronto to Calgary. kind hooked up with a gentlemen coming back from a African safari. they made him do everything but a stool sample. He did have to pee in a cup. (side note* he did have a stamp in his pass part from a country over there that the government dose not like us visiting) he had a hassle with the rifle and everything.
Once we were seated 8 CF guys got on tan berets full kit and weapons. buddy leaned over and said I wonder what they did with the guy that asked them to pee in a cup.
 
There will always be more people who don't own guns in this country than those who do. It's no good to get confrontational with these people as you will never pursuade them to see things from your point of view by being argumentative. Have your documentation ready when your travelling and everything will be fine. You also don't want to leave a sour taste with non gun owners. Neutral is better than anti.
 
Slooshark1 said:
Neutral is better than anti.
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Very well said. No sense in making a stink over someone asking you for ID. As a gun owner/ user I prefer it because it means that someone who's out there w/o proper licensing will also have a ##### of a time moving guns. I like to know that those who have an use guns posses at least the most basic knowledge and respect for them... does the PAL guarantee that? Maybe... maybe not, however at least it's something.
 
The folks at Air Canada have always been a piece of work.
I have a good laugh every time I go through an Air Canada check in knowing what competent hands I am in.
Click to expand...

Yet, you continue to fly the friendly skies.
If people would do "due diligence " there would be less implied hassles while traveling.
And yes that includes (1) reading up on company policy.
(2) having a copy of said reading material for such silly requests and last but not least (3) arriving at the airport with plenty of time to spare should something unforeseen occur that results in delays.
But, you go ahead and complain about being so hard done by when the service staff are doing thier job.
I see it everyday, incompetent passengers showing up with two minutes to the scheduled departure and insist they be sold a ticket for this sailing, only problem is the computers shut down 5 minutes before the departure and the request can not be processed and even if it could the two minute walk across the tarmac still wouldnt get them to the ship in time to board.
Tight Groups
R
 
Slooshark1 said:
There will always be more people who don't own guns in this country than those who do. It's no good to get confrontational with these people as you will never pursuade them to see things from your point of view by being argumentative. Have your documentation ready when your travelling and everything will be fine. You also don't want to leave a sour taste with non gun owners. Neutral is better than anti.
Click to expand...

NathanR said:
Very well said. No sense in making a stink over someone asking you for ID. As a gun owner/ user I prefer it because it means that someone who's out there w/o proper licensing will also have a ##### of a time moving guns. I like to know that those who have an use guns posses at least the most basic knowledge and respect for them... does the PAL guarantee that? Maybe... maybe not, however at least it's something.
Click to expand...

Sit it's better to roll over than insist they do their jobs according to the regulations and laws in place, instead of making it up as they go?

You have a lot more faith in our laws than I do. John Lott has shown that restrictive laws simply cause greater loss of innocent lives overall. Nothing would better than something in this case.


Mark
 
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