Most illegal firearms seized in BC sourced domestically: report

By

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Six out of ten illegal guns being seized by police in BC are coming from Canada, instead of being smuggled in from the United States.

That’s just one of the findings in a newly-released report aimed at reducing gun violence in the province.

“Domestically-sourced illegal firearms are now a significant factor in the illegal firearms trade,” says Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth. “There’s 35 million people in this country, and that also means that there are a lot of firearms already in Canada, and not just in British Columbia.”

The final report from the Task Force on Illegal Firearms makes 37 recommendations, and Farnworth says work has already begun on four of them.

They include the creation of an intelligence-led illegal firearms trafficking team, expanding BC’s Bar Watch program to ban known gangsters from clubs, and seizing any cars used to commit gun violence.

“We’re already working with the superintendent of motor vehicles in terms of how we would go about it… frankly, I think that this is a potentially very effective way to disrupt the activities of those who think they can carry an illegal firearm in a vehicle without consequences,” Farnworth adds.

The federal government has already promised nearly $330 million over five years to target gang violence.

The full 138-page report can be viewed here.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today