XPost: can.politics, bc.politics, ont.politics   
   XPost: ab.politics   
   From: ConsRCons@govt.cda   
      
   The Canadian Press - August 29, 2013   
      
      
   B.C. police say arsenal of guns purchased legally, but likely headed for   
   gangs   
      
      
      
   VANCOUVER, B.C., - Police have seized nearly 200 guns in a remote area   
   of Interior British Columbia, arresting a man who investigators allege   
   was purchasing assault rifles and other weapons legally and then selling   
   them to the highest bidder, possibly to gang members and other criminals.   
      
   The province's Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit — an RCMP-led   
   team that targets organized crime — announced the seizure Thursday,   
   almost a week after raiding the home of a 63-year-old man in Tatla Lake,   
   more than 300 kilometres north of Vancouver.   
      
   Police arrested the man last Friday and executed a search warrant at his   
   home after receiving a tip two months earlier.   
      
   Investigators said they seized 183 guns, tens of thousands of rounds of   
   ammunition, and illegal high-capacity magazine, marking what is likely   
   the single-largest seizure in the unit's history.   
      
   Sgt. Lindsey Houghton said the man, whose name wasn't released, had no   
   criminal record and no known links to gangs or organized crime. The man   
   was licensed to purchased and possess the weapons, said Houghton.   
      
   "The overwhelming majority — in fact almost all of the guns — are legal   
   in Canada," Houghton said in an interview.   
      
   "The illegal part of this is his subsequent reselling of them on the   
   black market to anyone with cash in hand."   
      
   The high-capacity magazines were also purchased legally, said Houghton,   
   but they were then modified to expand the number of rounds they can   
   hold. Prospective buyers could place custom orders, Houghton alleged.   
      
   Houghton said investigators are still not sure precisely who was buying   
   the guns, but he said they have their theories.   
      
   "We think there was a strong likelihood that some of these weapons would   
   have made their way into the hands of gang members and criminals around   
   the province," he said.   
      
   The man was subsequently released from custody as Crown counsel   
   considers potential charges. Until he's charged, police are not   
   releasing his name.   
      
   The man was described as a long-time resident of Tatla Lake, a tiny   
   community in the province's Chilcotin region, about 150 kilometres west   
   of Williams Lake.   
      
   Houghton acknowledged it's unusual to uncover an alleged gun trafficking   
   operation, especially on such a massive scale, in a far-flung area of   
   the province.   
      
   "For someone to be doing this in such a remote region in B.C. is very   
   odd," he said.   
      
   "Most people would think that gun trafficking happened in the Lower   
   Mainland, but that's not the case in this instance."   
   _____________________________________________________________________   
      
      
   Selling, Giving or Trading Firearms   
      
   When a restricted or prohibited firearm is sold, given or traded to a   
   new owner, the registration record must be updated to reflect this   
   transfer, and a new registration certificate issued to the new owner.   
      
   The Government of Canada amended the Criminal Code and the Firearms Act   
   to eliminate the requirement to register non-restricted firearms as of   
   April 5, 2012   
      
   http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/fs-fd/sell-vendre-eng.htm   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)