High River- Police seizure of firearms

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by guyvapeur

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Heres a few tidbits I have mulled in the back of my head. The words *Order in Council* come to mind when a device or firearm can be declared prohibited. This, as I understand it means that the Criminal Code allows a group, council or body to define what in fact is prohibited. The RCMP is mandated by law to register certain firearms. This they do on behalf of the people of Canada, as they do all criminal histories.
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Last I heard, a peace officer upon finding an unsecured firearm may seize the firearm but must within 24 hours (or short time) bring it before a justice of the peace for a decision.
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There is mention that main stream media is not covering this event and people are perplexed. Maybe there is no story and they can not spin into anything more than it is .
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Guy, there is a sentiment in the West that the friendly helpful constable is a thing of the past. Many people have lost faith in the Force to control itself and to do the right thing. As far as the reclassification of two types of rifle goes, this started as a dispute between two former business partners. One tried to rat out the other for "illegal" firearms.

What galls most observers is the cloudiness of the reclassification decision. Is this a technical decision based on engineering and mechanical examination, or a political decision based on an administrative process taking advantage of 20-yr old regulations that have not kept pace with the market? Or, did the Force manoeuver the Minister to their purposes?

The Press was closed mouth mute when even the Prime Minister, whose riding includes High River, told the Force to knock it off. Why bother with belongings behind closed doors, when the area is cordoned off airtight? And why go back two and three times to specific houses? Does this not bring the administration of the law into disrepute?

Let's all remember that the Somalia scandals undermined a tremendous amount of good work done by the three services in the name of peace. An elite regiment of good men who were brought into the Airborne Regiment after a major house cleaning of misfits and bad soldiers, was summarily punished by disbanding the regiment. A few steroid enraged sociopaths had screwed things up for everyone for years. But the politicians didn't see any difference. We on the outside never see cops disciplined for perceived or real wrongdoings. If it turns out that someone really overstepped their authority in High River or at the Firearms Lab', let the public know and maybe it will undo some of the hard feelings.

[Marc Montgomery]

Guy, while you say the officers took no joy in smashing the doors, is there an explanation of why they would ( in a couple of cases) smash unlocked doors (as claimed by some HR residents)?
Is there an explanation why they would break into an empty house under renovation? Im also curious, not having any knowledge of such matters and in the several cases where this was possible, why they would not break a small side window and reach in to unlock the doors, which would be in the order of a hundred dollars damage as opposed to 1000 or more?

why traipse through the house opening closets and drawers?

If there was a theoretical threat of looting, surely over a thousand smashed doors leaving houses completely open would leave houses more vulnerable to looting?

As others, I am curious as to why MSM is not covering this as it absolutely is a story, when you have millions of dollars of damage to over a 1000 homes caused- with reason or without- by a government agency. Its not as if theyre avoiding follow up on the issue. I cannot recall any of the major tv networks reporting anything on this aspect of the situation, and I am a fairly regular watcher and listener to news reports

Now there's a deadline for claims.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...mage-1.2564302

[Jon Skagfeld]

It has been reported that the findings of the investigation of the RCMP's actions in High River will not be made public until early June.

How convenient.

Parliament breaks for the summer BBQ circuit then.