Shipping my weapons to Canada

[leifeng]

Next year I will move to Canada but I am not sure what to do with my weapons in China. In particular I'm worried about my Guandao since I might not be able to find a heavy one in Canada and my Miaodao. What are the regulations for shipping weapons like that? (They don't have sharp blades)

[Michael Babin]

Don't know about strict applications of Canadian Customs by individual inspectors but I and my students have never had trouble receiving sharp weapons from the USA through the mail or by UPS.

If the weapons are dull in edge, you can label them as "theatrical props" which I know has been successfully done in other commonwealth countries.

Hope this helps...

[Bill]

You may be charged a duty based on their worth, but I do not think they will deny you entry with them.

[Kevin_Wallbridge]

No worries. Big blades are no problem. Concealable and flexible weapons are the problems. Maybe label them as decorative items just in case.

[suckinlhbf]

I shipped three miaodaos into Vancouver a few years ago, and marked them as decorative item. They came in fine.

[leifeng]

Thanks for the replies. I have two more questions:
1-I guess unlike China we can't take these huge weapons to public parks in Canada, so how do you guys manage to practice these weapons?
2-Are 2 or 3 section staffs considered illegal in Canada?

[Michael Babin]

If you go to a park in a big city with a large Chinese population [Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, Halifax] it shouldn't be much of an issue; in other parks it may well be. I stopped practising sword forms in public parks years ago because of visits [friendly or otherwise] by police officers. Most of my students have had the same experience at least once over the years.

In the 80s, nunchakus which can be concealed in clothing were declared prohibited weapons in the Canadian Criminal Code with theoretical severe penalties for possession, much less mis-use. I gather that this ban against martial arts usage is rarely applied legally though our local martial arts store still only carries rubber and plastic versions of the nunchaku. As far as I know, it's still "in the books" if an officer wanted to be hard-nosed about the issue. No idea about the three section staff as I have never used such.

I've been out of the Canadian law enforcement scene for many years now so perhaps someone here has more recent experience with how such laws are applied?

[yeniseri]

I had some friends who brought some ceremonial weapons to Vancouver (from abroad) and it was fine. Canadian officials tend to be more knowledgeable about things like these than their US counterparts so it should not be a problem. More diverse cities like Vancouver will know and have discretion based on your explanations.