Timeline for What does the USA Customs and Border Protection consider a weapon?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
16 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Mar 4, 2018 at 21:48 | comment | added | André Paramés | @emory the whole point is that the person doesn't know if the answer is yes or no. Your position is unworkable. | |
| Mar 3, 2018 at 21:17 | comment | added | Kate Gregory | @emory your advice is common and WRONG. I know someone who was denied entry for no other reason than he just answered "yes" or "no" to questions, volunteered nothing, wasn't co-operating, they decided he was hiding something (which he wasn't.) Wherever your lack of trust came from, your advice will not spare others from a bad fate. | |
| Mar 3, 2018 at 21:12 | comment | added | emory | @Harper I am not saying that one should lie to the CBP. If they ask you a yes/no question then answer with yes or no; or ask them to clarify. Let them tell you what a weapon is. Don't volunteer that you have a hatchet if they don't ask. | |
| Mar 3, 2018 at 21:00 | comment | added | Harper - Reinstate Monica | @emory Except you are already talking to them. Your stuff is talking to them. Your advice only fits if you import nothing. Otherwise it risks serious trouble if they feel there's a discrepancy between what you say and what your stuff says, and silence is guilt. So no, "the right to remain silent" does not exist for an importer of anything. | |
| Mar 3, 2018 at 20:37 | comment | added | emory | @Harper CBP are police. At the port of entry you have to talk to them if you want to enter the country, but otherwise you don't have to. They can and do arrest people - that is their job. If you talk to them enough, they will acquire probable cause to arrest you. Never volunteer information that they did not ask for. | |
| Mar 3, 2018 at 17:32 | comment | added | user71659 | @eggyal The charge wouldn't be lying because over-declaring would not be material. The definition of making false statements requires materiality; over-declaring would not have a material consequence of allowing a prohibited weapon from being imported, it would have the immaterial consequence of the agent having to ask more questions. In any case, you can answer "I don't know if it's a weapon, I have a...". | |
| Mar 3, 2018 at 14:56 | comment | added | Harper - Reinstate Monica | @emory don't talk to police and be courteous to veterans and firemen. What does any of that have to do with how to interact with CBP? | |
| Mar 3, 2018 at 10:41 | comment | added | Kate Gregory | @eggyal you might think so, but that's just not how it works. That is how it work at security, where "joking", as a colleague of mine did in the 80s, "they missed my gun again" will get you arrested. I recommend not expecting pure logic and symmetry to apply in this situation. | |
| Mar 3, 2018 at 10:22 | comment | added | eggyal | If there is an offence of “lying to a border officer” then answering “yes” when the correct answer is “no” completes that offence just as much as the reverse (though, granted, it’s unlikely to be acted upon)... | |
| Mar 3, 2018 at 3:25 | comment | added | BruceWayne | @emory - KateGregory covered that. What if you don't think the knife is considered a weapon. You answer "No" without qualification. They search and find the knife. It can go any way from there. Alternatively if you answer "Yes" without qualification, then prepare for the officers to become more "on their guard". Starting out with "I have a 5" camping knife, yes." Not only gives the officer the info they want, you ease in to the "yes" so it doesn't immediately amp them up. | |
| Mar 3, 2018 at 3:18 | comment | added | Kate Gregory | I disagree, @emory. I wouldn't give a speech, but restricting yourself to just Yes and No is adversarial. The OP wants to co-operate and reveal the camping equipment if it counts as a weapon. A single sentence is an appropriate answer. | |
| Mar 3, 2018 at 3:03 | comment | added | emory | Why would you answer a Yes/No question with anything other than Yes/No. In general, do not talk to police officers. The border is a special exception to the rule, but nonetheless just answer the question and don't volunteer information. | |
| Mar 3, 2018 at 0:10 | comment | added | Keltari | totally agree with the answer. answering honestly is the best choice. and the reality is they arent looking for those items. anyone, including a minor can purchase a knife or hatchet from a hardware store in the US. they are looking for guns, bombs, etc. | |
| Mar 2, 2018 at 23:10 | vote | accept | Scorb | ||
| Mar 2, 2018 at 19:20 | comment | added | Jim MacKenzie | This is a good answer. I'll often answer similar questions with "No, but I do have xxx". Sometimes they'll ask me a followup question or two about it but it's always been fine. If in doubt, declare. | |
| Mar 2, 2018 at 18:32 | history | answered | Kate Gregory | CC BY-SA 3.0 |