Originally Posted by
deptrai
carrying a gun without the necessary paperwork is like piloting an aircraft without a license. at best it's a really, really stupid thing to do. rules, regulations and sop's exist for a reason, and you better have a damn good explanation if you chose to deviate. constructively criticizing some useless bureaucratic requirements is another thing, but reckless contempt will only make things worse for everybody. this guy probably needs help.
In the US, where the right of adults to carry a gun unless specifically disqualified by some past deed, etc, is assumed, then "accidentally" (because who can prove intent?) carrying a gun without the necessary paperwork may well be like forgetting to renew your car licence and doing something you're qualified to do but technically not licensed to do.
But the situation elsewhere in the first world is more akin to driving a tank, or as you say, piloting an aircraft, without suitable documentation demonstrating competence and authority.
We do not take it for granted that all adults are safe to be left in possession of lethal weapons unless proven otherwise. Instead we expect to see a demonstrated understanding of how to carry such a weapon safely and a rather good reason to be permitted to do so.
Carrying a gun, especially a loaded gun, without suitable permission is generally regarded as very close to proving an intention to use a gun for illegal purposes.
Furthermore, one of the reasons often cited for owning guns in the USA is for self protection in a society which is already flooded with guns. The argument seems to go something like "just one more gun" causes no real increase in the total danger to the public, while providing the owner with protection from all the other guns.
In a society which does not have this flood of guns, this argument falls apart and "just one more gun", especially an unauthorised, undocumented and loaded gun, is rightly regarded as increasing the total danger to the public and as a very serious matter. Many Americans appear culturally incapable of grasping this point of view and simply cannot understand why we regard guns as such a serious threat elsewhere.
Just how much trouble this guy is going to be in is probably largely a matter of his apparent intent (was it a genuine innocent mistake or an attempt to circumvent Canadian firearms laws?) and if it appears to be an innocent mistake, how understanding Canadian authorities are of the very different culture south of the border.
As a pilot, it's hard to see carrying a loaded hand held cannon (this was no pea shooter!) in the same bag he uses when flying, and then forgetting to remove it for work, as plausible. So much of flight safety is about recognising opportunities for things to go wrong and avoiding them.
Furthermore, he got the thing into Canada and was caught on the way out next day, so unless he managed not to noticed a loaded 38 in with his clean shirt and toothbrush, he had ample opportunity to declare to Canadian authorities that he had stuffed up and hand the gun in for safe transportation back to the USA, or to abandon it down a drain or in a lake, rather than trying to carry it back into the USA.
I can't see him convincing anyone this was an innocent mistake.