Fine for gun-carrying border traveller

A Georgia man who travelled across the Rainbow Bridge with three loaded guns has learned the hard way that he better heed the advice of border guards. Wilber Williamson pleaded guilty in absentia in Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines on Tuesday to a charge of making a false statement under the Canada Customs Act. Court heard the defendant crossed the bridge Aug. 12, 2006, and was asked by a Canada Border Services Agency official if he had any firearms to declare. Williamson said he wasn’t carrying any guns, at which time the border guard told him he could store his weapons at the border and retrieve them upon his return to the U.S. Again, the defendant said he wasn’t carrying any guns. At secondary inspection, however, officials discovered three loaded guns including a .38 Special revolver. Federal prosecutor Darren Anger asked Judge Tory Colvin to consider imposing a sentence of three to four months behind bars. Defence counsel Michael Delgobbo said a fine was a more appropriate sentence, adding his client is a respected businessman in Georgia and has a licence to carry firearms in the U.S. The judge imposed a $5,000 fine. Colvin noted that, although carrying guns is a relatively common practice in the U.S., especially in the southern states, “it is not our way up here by any stretch of the imagination.” — Standard Staff, Postmedia