PUBLICATION: The Winnipeg Sun
DATE:
2004.12.16
EDITION:
Final
SECTION:
News
PAGE:
4
ILLUSTRATION:
photo
by John Woods Sgt. Paul Brown unloads a gun at a Lipton Street shooting scene in
October.
BYLINE:
CARY CASTAGNA, POLICE REPORTER
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GUNS-TO-GO
FOR CRIMINALS USE 'EM AND LOSE 'EM
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It's
no secret that Winnipeg streets have witnessed an escalation in gun violence
this year. But police have noticed another disturbing trend -- criminals are
tossing away firearms like candy wrappers.
"It
seems they are so readily accessible, that quite often once they're used,
they're dumped in alleys, in garbage cans, in backyards," said Winnipeg
police Sgt. Paul Brown. "I'm finding a lot of reports of guns being found
in people's yards. Obviously, they (criminals) are throwing them away (because)
they're concerned that they may get found with that gun. Obviously, they can get
them again if they're not concerned about getting rid of a firearm."
Cops are discovering a wide variety of weapons, from high-quality handguns to sawed-off shotguns and "the odd machine-gun," said Brown, who is a member of the National Weapons Enforcement Support Team. Most of them aren't registered, he added.
Where
are they all coming from? One only needs to look to our southern neighbours for
the answer. "Canada and the United States share the longest border in the
world," Brown said. "A lot of guns come from the States, where it is a
lot easier to purchase firearms."
Supply
and demand
Police
are currently working on a case where a man legally purchased half a dozen
handguns at an American gun shop and allegedly smuggled them into Manitoba the
next day. Cops believe the firearms were destined for Winnipeg streets before
they were intercepted.
Many
of the registered firearms police come across are stolen in break-ins from
legitimate gun owners. Guns are often distributed through the criminal
underworld in exchange for drugs or money, Brown said.
It's
a simple case of supply and demand.
"The
bad guys want guns certainly to intimidate other gang members, to conduct
business. They kind of go hand-in-hand with the drug trade," Brown said.
Sawed-off
weapons -- which are prohibited weapons -- appear to be popular among criminals.
Police
seized two sawed-off .22-calibre rifles following a drug-related shooting
Tuesday night in the West End.
"The
reason that bad guys cut their guns down is so they can conceal them more
easily," Brown said. "It's hard to walk around with a long gun in your
hand. So if you cut it down, you can throw it in your pocket or under your
jacket."
------------------------------------------------
NEWS
RELEASE - January 9, 1995
"86%
of handguns seized in ‘Project
Gun Runner’ were unregistered."
http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/breitkreuzgpress/done/guns10.htm