00                      SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 14                                                                    
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-Canada Highway and other highways in                                        
07 Canada to reach the 48 contiguous states of the United States; and                                                      
08       WHEREAS Alaska borders Canada, Canadians engage in recreational activities in                                   
09 Alaska, and Alaskans engage in recreational activities in Canada; and                                                   
10       WHEREAS these recreational opportunities often occur at, and Alaskans enter                                     
11 Canada at, locations where Canada does not have a border station or customs personnel                                   
12 permanently stationed; and                                                                                              
13       WHEREAS Alaska and the United States do not impose a fee for Canadians to                                       
14 transport firearms into Alaska or the United States to engage in recreational activities; and                           
15       WHEREAS the government of Canada recently adopted new regulations that require                                  

01 visitors to Canada not having a valid Canadian firearms license to declare their firearms                               
02 before entering Canada at a Canadian customs station, complete a Non-Resident Firearm                                   
03 Declaration Form, and pay a $50 (Canadian) confirmation fee; and                                                        
04       WHEREAS the imposition of this fee on Alaskans and those traveling to and from                                  
05 Alaska is onerous and burdensome, especially when considering that neither Alaska nor the                               
06 United States has a reciprocal declaration and fee requirement; and                                                     
07       WHEREAS the declaration and fee requirements cause bad feelings and ill will                                    
08 between Alaska and Canada;                                                                                              
09       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges President Bush, the                                      
10 United States Department of State, and the United States Congress to intervene and negotiate                            
11 with the government of Canada to remove the onerous and burdensome declaration and fee                                  
12 requirements in a manner that allows Alaskans to engage in routine recreational, transport,                             
13 and travel opportunities in Canada without declaration before entering Canada and without                               
14 payment of this fee.                                                                                                    
15       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable George W. Bush, President                              
16 of the United States; the Honorable Richard B. Cheney, Vice-President of the United States                              
17 and President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the U.S. House                            
18 of Representatives; the Honorable Colin Powell, United States Secretary of State; and to the                            
19 Honorable Ted Stevens and the Honorable Frank Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the                                         
20 Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.