Police are flagging a growing number of untraceable guns in homes and on the streets of B.C.
“Ghost guns” — privately made, illegal firearms — can be 3D-printed, ordered in a kit and made at home, or MacGyvered out of airsoft pistols. They’ve earned the ghost gun moniker because they don’t have serial numbers, making them untraceable.
“Four years ago, we would see them maybe once every six months,” said Staff Sgt. Baltej Dhillon, manager of the Crime Gun Intelligence program at B.C.’s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU).
“Now, I think I would be safe to say that we’re seeing them on a weekly basis.”
CFSEU was unable to provide province-wide data on ghost gun seizures.
“They’re not large numbers, but the trend is what’s concerning,” Dhillon said.
On Vancouver Island, Saanich and Victoria police said there haven’t been any recent cases involving ghost guns. However, in November, West Shore RCMP found several 3D-printed handguns, 3D-printed lower receivers, and a 3D printer in a Langford man’s home.
“Manufacturing these items in your own home, there’s no way for police to know what’s on the streets,” Cpl. Nancy Saggar said in an interview last Thursday.
“It’s essentially an unregulated area right now, which is causing concern.”
GUN CONTROL BILL PASSES SENATE
On Thursday, a Liberal gun control bill passed the Senate. Bill C-21 strives to deter people from manufacturing and smuggling ghost guns.
The legislation includes Criminal Code amendments that would ban the possession and distribution of digital firearm designs. It also seeks to make it more difficult to import certain parts, such as slides and barrels, which are required to make 3D-printed guns functional.
Former B.C. solicitor general Kash Heed said tweaking the Criminal Code doesn’t go far enough.
“Make sure there’s absolutely criminal sanctions that will be a deterrent for people to get involved in this,” Heed said.
“I’m talking a hundreds of thousands of dollars fine.”
Heed also said it should be more difficult to buy 3D printers.
“They have to make sure that our importation rules are very strict here, where we don’t allow any of these types of printers or the parts of these firearms… to enter this particular country,” he said.
3D printers and firearm blueprints are readily available online and have already made it into the wrong hands.
“It’s never too late. We can’t throw up our hands and say it’s inevitable,” Heed said.
“If we let this slide, which we do with many problems that we have here, we’ll just get into a worsened situation with gun violence on the streets.”
