Store Your Piece

Shooting

Klondike Hunting and Fishing, a local sports shop in Republic, will store your six-shooter, pardner, while you cross the border into Canada. This is a regular cottage industry along northern Washington.

“Two dollars a day,” the guy behind the counter says, “unless you’re going to be gone longer. And then it’s cheaper.

“The guy over in Oroville charges $2.50,” he adds.

A lot of people, the fellow says, used to get to the border and remember they’d forgotten about their weapon. Canada is considerably less tolerant of handguns than are most western states.

“You’d see them coming south,” he said, “turning off at the first side road. They’d go into the woods and dig a hole. They’d plan to come back later.”

There’s probably still a lot of guns up in those hills, he said.