RCMP seize ‘substantial’ number of firearms from evacuated homes

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Geoff7

New member
High River residents furious after RCMP seize ‘substantial’ number of firearms from evacuated homes

I'm not sure if L&CR is the right board for this, as it doesn't pertain directly to U.S. law. Sorry in advance if I put this in the wrong place.

This is eerily similar to what happened in post-Katrina New Orleans. My two takeaways from this:

1) This is what you get when you have gun registration. The police know exactly where to go to take your gun(s).

2) If forced to evacuate, take your guns.

Sgt. Brian Topham. “People have a significant amount of money invested in firearms … so we put them in a place that we control and that they’re safe.”

So I take it they're also impounding vehicles and setting up a flat screen TV storage area?

Finally, this comment from a resident: "This is the reason the U.S. has the right to bear arms,” said Charles Timpano, pointing to the group of Mounties.

Damn straight.
 
"This is the reason the U.S. has the right to bear arms,” said Charles Timpano, pointing to the group of Mounties.
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Unfortunately, Canada does not. They made their own choices when writing their constitution, and they made their own choices when approving the passage of laws allowing this. None of this started yesterday.

That said, this subforum is not exclusive to American law; Canada's gun laws and their enforcement mechanisms are a valid topic.
 
Evacuating your firearms while evacuating your home is a good idea for yet another reason - potential looting. Guns are mighty attractive to looters and will be among the first items removed from your help in these scenarios if the looting becomes prevalent.
 
I guess if I had to evacuate and couldn't take all of my guns, I'd prefer to be able to go and get them back from the police than lose them to looters. Which is how I read it, anyway. Sounded like the RCMP is securing them from looters.
 
Sounded like the RCMP is securing them from looters.
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That could be, but what guarantee do the owners have that the authorities will return them? If the guns aren't returned, what recourse do the owners have?
 
Proof of ownership?

Now, just what might that be? Could it be doublespeak for "proof of a good reason" (acceptable to the govt) of/for ownership?

Don't they have gun registration in Canada? Didn't the police use it to know which homes had guns that might need securing?

Ok, reading the article (and comments), it appears that what happened is the police "swept" every house in the evacuated town (looking for bodies, etc.), and picked up any/all guns found "lying around".

According to one comment, they did not remove any guns from secure storage, and did not "go through anyone's sock drawer" looking for guns.

Now, you are, of course, free to believe as much, or as little as you like about that, but it still leaves my question.

If your gun is registered, how is that NOT proof of ownership?
 
Darn. They're out of tin foil at my local store. Some of you guys must be hoarding.


Mountie1.jpg



Sgt Lumpy
 
is there more to this story than the article presents... is that SOP for all RCMP across Canada in times of disaster to remove all guns? If not, what is the relationship between the RCMP and the towns citizens?
 
I'm confused on a couple of points -

- It's a disaster. Do the residents that are leaving NOT take their guns with them?

- The RCMP collects the guns from the evacuated homes. Isn't that better than the looters and meth heads collecting the guns?

- The RCMP returns the guns if you show proof of ownership. Isn't that better than if someone else simply shows up and says "Oh yeah, that's my gun"?


Except for people leaving their guns when they evacuate, everything else in the scenario sounds like it's exactly what I'd want to happen.


Sgt Lumpy
 
Except for people leaving their guns when they evacuate, everything else in the scenario sounds like it's exactly what I'd want to happen.
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What gives the RCMP the right to go stomping through people’s homes looking for anything, let alone firearms. Maybe warrantless search and seizure is legal in Canada? I don’t really know for sure. Law Enforcement needs a search warrant, or at the least probable cause to get into my home. They better have one or the other, otherwise things would get ugly on my end.
 
SgtLumpy, if all the RCMP require for proof is that Gun A was taken from Home B, and the person claiming the gun is the resident of Home B, that's fine.

If the RCMP wants receipts or transfer paperwork, particularly from people who have heirloom guns or who have had damage to homes and files, that's something else.

Since I don't know which is the case, I am not going to get worked up about this.
 
Law Enforcement needs a search warrant, or at the least probable cause to get into my home. They better have one or the other, otherwise things would get ugly on my end.
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Exactly what are you going to do, Mike?


Sgt Lumpy
 
Doesn't Canada have a firearms registry? Suppose some of these people are among those who (allegedly) declined to register their firearms.

What then?
 
"Securing homes from looters" is a hogwash answer, and everyone knows it; the RCMP were stationed at all entrance/exit points to the town, and had full access to go through looking for anyone moving anything in or out. Did they also "secure" all the big-screen TVs in town?
 
Doesn't Canada have a firearms registry? Suppose some of these people are among those who (allegedly) declined to register their firearms.
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Good point, this goes in line with my question above......

Unfortunately, Canada does not. They made their own choices when writing their constitution, and they made their own choices when approving the passage of laws allowing this. None of this started yesterday.
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I understand this situation is about more than just the guns confisticated, but I find it ironic for Canadians to even gripe about police confisticating their guns in any circumstance.
 
All I know is Sgt. Preston of the Yukon and his wonderdog King would never have done this. Neither would Dudley Do-Rght.
 
Section 8 of the Canadian Charter reads similar to our 4th Amendment:

Everyone has the right to be secure against unreasonable search or seizure.
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The courts there have outlined the contours of that to be very much like our own expectations. As such, I don't see the actions of the RCMP passing muster here.
 
What happens when the RCMP enter's an evacuated home to confiscate guns, and they find something illegal. Like a pot plant or something. How do the RCMP know where the firearms are stored? If it's too dangerous for the residents to stay... why is the RCMP there? As someone else intelligently asked... Why dont they save big screen tv's or sterio equipment. This whole thing smell like bacalau.

Just asking ya know?
 
As someone else intelligently asked... Why dont they save big screen tv's or sterio equipment.
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Others have asked but it wasn't the least bit intelligent.

Meth heads looting your home. Would you rather they take your TV or your guns?

Some of the assumptions posed in this thread are hilarious. Do you think the RCMP staged the disaster too? Just so they could go in and take people's guns?

A couple of you guys are embarassing.

Later on this tinfoil hat thread...


Sgt Lumpy
 
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