November 27, 2017 09:59 PM   
      
      
   Most illegal guns in B.C. from within Canada: report   
      
   It’s a myth that most guns used to commit crimes in B.C. are smuggled across   
   the border from the United States, a new report shows.   
      
   A provincial task force on illegal firearms says the majority of guns used in   
   criminal acts come from Canada, and it’s calling for new laws to better   
   track gun sales in this country.   
      
    The task force cites data from the national weapons enforcement support team   
   that shows that, over the past three years in B.C., 60 per cent of crime guns   
   came from Canada.   
      
   The trend is attributed to gun laws in states such as Washington and Oregon   
   that require sellers to keep records of gun purchases — something that   
   doesn’t exist in Canada.   
      
   “Unlike many American states, sellers need not keep any records of sales of   
   non-restricted firearms,” the task force says in its report.   
      
   “Purchasers can resell, trade or give away a firearm without keeping   
   records. Without sales records, crime investigators often cannot trace the   
   ownership of crime guns, even when gun registration numbers allow them to   
   trace their manufacture and    
   shipping to an individual retailer.”   
      
   In some cases, a person without a criminal record buys a gun legally and then   
   passes it to someone who is unable to obtain a firearm acquisition licence.   
   The task force says such “straw purchasers” will then falsely report the   
   weapon stolen if it    
   becomes the target of an investigation.   
      
   “The national weapons enforcement support team reports an increase in the   
   number of legally purchased firearms that were diverted to the illicit   
   market,” the task force says. “Many have been recovered in criminal   
   investigations.”   
      
   The task force calls on the B.C. government to push for federal legislation,   
   or adopt its own, to require businesses and dealers to keep point-of-sale   
   records of people purchasing non-restricted firearms. The records could be   
   made available to police on    
   a case-by-case basis.   
      
   “Point-of-sale record keeping would help link straw purchasers and illegal   
   firearms traffickers to crime guns,” the report says.   
      
   “It would also close an intelligence gap and assist investigations by   
   creating opportunities to trace firearms, identify illegal traffickers and   
   focus strategic intelligence.”   
      
   The B.C. government said it’s examining all the recommendations in the   
   130-page report from the task force, led by retired RCMP assistant   
   commissioner Wayne Rideout.   
      
   Solicitor General Mike Farnworth said the report will form part of the   
   government’s multi-pronged strategy to tackle gun and gang violence.   
      
   He said the province will immediately act on the recommendation to establish   
   an illegal firearms trafficking team and create a centralized office to   
   compile and analyze information on illegal firearms.   
      
      
   http://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/most-illegal-guns-in-b-c   
   from-within-canada-report-1.23106048   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)