00                CS FOR SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 14(STA)                                                              
01 Urging President Bush, the United States Department of State, and the United States                                     
02 Congress to intervene and negotiate with the government of Canada to reconsider the                                     
03 imposition of a fee to transport firearms through Canada.                                                               
04 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
05       WHEREAS Alaska is separated from the 48 contiguous states of the United States by                               
06 Canada, and many Alaskans travel the Alaska, Taylor/Top of the World, Skagway/Klondike,                                 
07 and Cassiar Highways and other highways in Canada to reach the 48 contiguous states of the                              
08 United States; and                                                                                                      
09       WHEREAS Alaska borders the Yukon and British Columbia, Canadians engage in                                      
10 recreational activities in Alaska, and Alaskans engage in recreational activities in Canada; and                        
11       WHEREAS, in pursuit of these recreational opportunities, Alaskans enter Canada at                           
12 locations, some of which do not have a border station or customs personnel permanently                                  
13 stationed; and                                                                                                          
14       WHEREAS Alaska and the United States do not impose a fee for Canadians to                                       
15 transport firearms into Alaska or the United States to engage in recreational activities; and                           

01       WHEREAS the government of Canada recently adopted new regulations that require                                  
02 visitors to Canada not having a valid Canadian firearms license to declare their firearms                               
03 before entering Canada at a Canadian customs station, complete a Non-Resident Firearm                                   
04 Declaration Form, and pay a $50 (Canadian) confirmation fee; and                                                        
05       WHEREAS the imposition of this fee on Alaskans and those traveling to and from                                  
06 Alaska is inconvenient and unexpected, especially when considering that neither Alaska nor                              
07 the United States has a reciprocal declaration and fee requirement;                                                     
08       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges President Bush, the                                      
09 United States Department of State, and the United States Congress to intervene and negotiate                            
10 with the government of Canada to remove the declaration and fee requirements in a manner                                
11 that allows Alaskans to engage in routine recreational, transport, and travel opportunities in                          
12 Canada.                                                                                                                 
13       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Jean Chretien, Prime                                   
14 Minister of Canada; the Honorable Lloyd Axworthy, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Canada; the                              
15 members of Parliament from British Columbia and the Yukon; the Honorable Pat Duncan,                                    
16 Premier of the Yukon; the Honorable Ujjal Dosanjh, Premier of British Columbia; the                                     
17 Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United States; the Honorable Richard B.                                      
18 Cheney, Vice-President of the United States and President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable                             
19 J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; the Honorable Colin Powell,                            
20 United States Secretary of State; and to the Honorable Ted Stevens and the Honorable Frank                              
21 Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of                                  
22 the Alaska delegation in Congress.