A U.S. woman found that trying to cross the Osoyoos border with a loaded gun in your pocket is a no-no.
Catherin Young, 49, was released from custody on Tuesday after pleading guilty in Penticton court on Monday for unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm with ammunition and one charge under the Canadian Customs Act. Crown counsel Clarke Burnett asked for a $2,000 to $3,000 fine but Judge Gale Sinclair decided to sentence Young to three days in jail, and upon the woman’s release she would be turned over to Canadian Border Services.
Burnett said Young was a passenger in a vehicle driven by her husband when they attempted to cross the border on Sunday at around 5:15 p.m. The couple told the border guards they held a medical marijuana certificate and had an unloaded shotgun aboard the vehicle. When asked if they had any other weapons they answered no.
Canadian Border Services guards conducted a secondary search and found Young had a loaded .22 mini-magnum handgun in her right pocket. The shotgun that had been declared was actually loaded, and in the car there was a high-capacity gun magazine that is prohibited in Canada.
Defence lawyer Jim Pennington said Young had forgotten the small gun was in her pocket, and she had used it for shooting snakes on their winter vacation property in Arizona. Pennington said Young, who is a permanent resident of Houston, Alaska, did not need a permit to carry the weapon in Alaska or Arizona.
CORRECTION: Crown counsel for this incident is Clarke Burnett and not Nashina Devji as previously reported. The Penticton Western News apologizes for the error.