CCFR Radio – Ep 154: Bill Blair Lies Again! More Cops Reject Gun Bans, Journo Becomes Criminal

For the latest information on what's been happening at the CCFR, check out our most recent Podcast with host Rod Giltaca.

In this episode: Montreal journalist violates multiple firearm laws, anti-gunners approve. Flashback: Bill Blair says buy-back to cost $350 million, when his gov’t estimated 1.8 billion! More cops reject gun bans. New CCFR merch revealed!

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Audio-only Link: https://podcast.ccfr.ca/episodes/episode-154

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WATCH: Why These "Journalists" Should Get Jail Time

Watch Criminal Defence and Firearms Lawyer Ian Runkle break down why a recent stunt by a Journalist at La Presse means he is guilty of a number of firearms crimes.

LAWTON: Can provinces set their own gun laws?

While firearm policies are often thought of as falling under federal jurisdiction, a closer examination reveals a complex interplay between federal and provincial authorities.

Alberta Chief Firearms Officer Teri Bryant spoke with True North’s Andrew Lawton about the degree of latitude afforded to provincial authorities in shaping and implementing firearm policies.

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WATCH: A Message from Blaine Calkins on Bill C-21

Bill C-21 is in the Senate, threatening our traditions and heritage. Say NO to this ideological attack on law-abiding Canadians. CPC MP Blaine Calkins urges you to join him in opposing bill C-21.

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B.C. gangland slayings spill over to provinces across Canada

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Judge laments increase in gun crimes in Sudbury

A Hamilton man who fled Sudbury police at a high rate of speed at night, crashed his vehicle in a swamp and was later found hiding in a shed in the Hanmer area has been given a five-year jail sentence.

To make matters worse, when Greater Sudbury Police arrested Simeon Bolton, 28, officers found a loaded handgun and fentanyl in the vehicle he had abandoned.

In issuing the jail term, Superior Court Justice Patricia Hennessy said the case was just too serious to agree to a defence call for a time-served or conditional sentence.

“The aggravating factors in this case deserve very serious consideration,” said the judge “Mr. Bolton is a repeat offender. At the time of the offences, he was on probation for weapons offences and on a (weapons) prohibition order.

“These are serious offences that threaten the safety of the community. Mr. Bolton was driving at high speeds without a licence, with a loaded firearm without a trigger lock, and located following an intensive search by police.

“Statistics from Greater Sudbury Police filed show a significant increase in the number of offences involving such weapons over the last few years.”

Bolton’s prior criminal record included a conviction in 2016 for carrying a concealed weapon and a conviction in 2019 for possessing a restricted firearm with ammunition while prohibited.

Hennessy said a pre-sentence report indicated Bolton had faced anti-Black racism growing up, was raised by a single mother, was exposed to the drug culture early and then got involved in it as a youth.

The report also said Bolton had been shot at twice and now has a criminal record that makes finding employment difficult. In addition, the report noted he had a prior record for weapons offences.

However, Hennessy said Botlon could not claim he feared for his safety while on a rural highway in Northern Ontario far from his hometown of Hamilton.

As a result, the judge said she ruled out a conditional sentence due to the fact Bolton was on probation at the time of his crimes in Greater Sudbury, which included weapons charges.

“Gun violence has increased across the province, both here in Northern Ontario and southern Ontario, where Mr. Bolton resides,” said the judge. “Communities deserve to feel safe … I do not accept that a conditional sentence would ensure the safety of the community with this repeat offender.

“Gun culture is not found on rural highways in Northern Ontario.”

Calgary police investigating break-and-enter and shooting in northeast

Calgary police officers are investigating a break-and-enter and shooting that occurred early Saturday morning in the northeast community of Abbeydale.

According to a Saturday evening news release, multiple suspects broke into a residence in the 800 block of Abbotsford Drive N.E. at around 4:05 a.m. The residence was occupied by five adults and two children, police said.

Police said the suspects assaulted two of the adults and demanded money and other items before fleeing the residence.

Police added multiple gunshots were fired as the suspects were leaving, which struck neighbouring homes.

Two adults were sent to hospital with “significant injuries,” police said. The other adults and two children were not injured.

Police are investigating the incident and said they believe three or four suspects were involved. The suspects were wearing masks and carrying handguns, according to the release.

Police also said some of the suspects fled on foot, while others fled in a red truck.

Anyone with information about the incident are asked to call 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers.

A Jewish school in Montreal was once again the target of gunfire early morning Sunday in what authorities say is the latest in a string of hateful acts targeting the community this week.

Police say 911 calls were made around 5 a.m. for gunshots heard near Yeshiva Gedola school in the city’s Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood. Officers say they found bullet holes in the building and casings on the ground on Deacon Road near the Van Horne Avenue intersection.

Witnesses told officers a vehicle was seen leaving the scene after shots were heard.

Montreal police spokesperson Caroline Chèvrefils told Global News no one was inside the building at the time of the incident and no injuries were reported.

This is the second time Yeshiva Gedola has been the target of gunfire in just a few days. On Thursday police reported overnight gunshots fired at that same school and at United Talmud Torah school, also in the city’s Côte-des-Neiges area.

Earlier this week a Molotov cocktail was thrown into a synagogue and an office belonging to Jewish advocacy group Federation CJA in the city’s West Island suburb of Dollard-des-Ormeaux.

None of these incidents caused any injuries and no arrests have been made.

'Spate of violence': Calgary police 'extremely' concerned by trend of brazen shootings

Calgary communities have seen multiple shootings over the past few days, with some believed to be targeted attacks possibly connected to organized crime.

Following the fourth shooting in four days, Calgary police addressed the trend during a press conference on Monday afternoon.

Supt. Cory Dayley with the Calgary Police Service described the past few days of shootings as “brazen incidents of gun violence.”

“Each of these incidents has occurred within a community, some in broad daylight, and some narrowly missing innocent bystanders,” Dayley said.

“While we have already confirmed that several of these shootings were targeted, this does not diminish the risk to Calgarians.”

“It is not common that we’d see this many days in a row with this type of violence, this spate of violence,” he said.

While police are still in the early stages of investigation, many of these shootings bear some of the hallmarks of organized crime.

“Organized crime-related violence is often difficult to solve, due to the lack of co-operation from those involved,” the CPS superintendent said.

“The extra steps taken by offenders to plan these acts and conceal their identity and dispose of evidence makes it increasingly difficult to investigate these crimes.”

Many targeted shootings connected to organized crime are “crimes of opportunity,” according to police.

“They’re pre-planned, so these people know who their targets are, they know who the other groups in town are, and they’re prepared to take action when they see or can come upon these people,” Dayley said.

“That’s why we're seeing some of the more brazen, daytime or public shootings, is they might not get a second chance and they take the opportunity when they see it.”

Attacks connected to organized crime can often lead to further retaliation. CPS is working in the community using “significant suppression efforts” to try and avoid any retaliatory violence.

Four people from Ottawa facing charges after police seize $200K worth of drugs, firearms as part of ongoing investigation

Six individuals, including four people from Ottawa, one from Carleton Place and one person from Gatineau, have been arrested and charged with a total of 42 offences following an investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)-led Joint Forces Guns and Gangs Enforcement Team (PGNG).

This multi-jurisdictional investigation, dubbed Project Alloy, began in July after investigators learned of a criminal network trafficking illicit drugs, including crystal methamphetamine and cocaine, in the Ottawa and Thunder Bay areas.

On Nov. 9, 2023, nine search warrants were executed in Ottawa, Carleton Place, Thunder Bay and Gatineau. Officers seized a large quantity of illicit drugs, firearms and offence-related property valued at approximately $200,000.

Seized items include but are not limited to:

• More than 2.6 kilograms of suspected crystal methamphetamine;
• More than 1.2 kilograms of suspected cocaine;
• 6,898 suspected methamphetamine tablets;
• 175 x suspected hydromorphone pills;
• Five suspected ecstasy pills (MDMA);
• 2.4 grams of suspected crack cocaine;
• Four rifles and one loaded shotgun;
• Eight handguns, one of which was loaded;
• A crossbow and prohibited weapon (brass knuckles);
• numerous magazines and a large quantity of ammunition;
• 35 x suspected oxycodone tablets;
• 33 grams and 739 tablets/pills of methamphetamine (speed);
• Property obtained by crime;
• Drug trafficking paraphernalia;
• United States currency and a large quantity of Canadian currency;
• Two vehicles (BMW and a stolen Ford pickup truck); and,
• 11 x cell phones.

5 out of the 6 people were charged with unauthorized possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm, among other charges.

‘We’ve got to get control of the guns’: city officials on violent crime in Winnipeg

City officials say it’s a challenge to stay ahead of violent crime in the city, but despite a spate of recent incidents — including a shooting on Sunday night that left one person dead and another hospitalized — police say gun incidents are about on par with last year.

“In terms of the data collection, we’re not dissimilar to the stats we ended up with last year,” Const. Dani McKinnon told Global Winnipeg.

“In terms of non-fatal shootings, last year there were just over 134 incidents. This year, although we’re moving into the final quarter, we’re sitting at about 100 … approximately. So in terms of it being a massive increase, it’s not. It’s quite similar to last year.”

McKinnon said much of the gun crime in Winnipeg is connected with the drug trade and gang networks.

“The shootings are generally not random in nature,” she said. “They’re driven from these networks.”

Coun. Markus Chambers (St. Norbert – Seine River) is City Hall’s police board chair. He recently returned from a visit to Vancouver for a policing conference, and said it was an opportunity to learn more about the inner workings of policing and the law — and to see how other Canadian cities are dealing with crime on their streets.

Chambers said the proliferation of 3D-printed “ghost” guns and gun parts is exacerbating the problem, and spreading untraceable weapons throughout the country.

“It’s a situation where we’ve got to get control of the guns. It’s something that we’re seeing happen across Canada — Winnipeg is not unique to it.”

“Legislation should address the problem that we’re having now with these ghost guns that are on the streets … and then protecting our borders,” he said.

Officials need to make sure that guns aren’t coming in from the U.S., he said. “We’ve got to clamp down on that as well to get some gun security here in our city. It’s the licensed gun owners who are being impacted, yet the illegal people are the ones causing the crimes.”

Chambers said Manitoba’s new joint warrant unit aims to further crack down on offenders by tackling what many perceive as a revolving door of criminals who are arrested and quickly released, only to re-offend a short time later.

“Bail reform is something the federal government has to look at and make changes to,” he said. “It’s not a situation of catch-and-release anymore, it’s release-and-catch. They’re out on the street very quickly after being arrested, after being charged, after being convicted. A lot of them are breaching their court sentences and they’re out on the streets and they’re reoffending.”

The warrant unit, Chambers said, aims to target repeat offenders — particularly violent ones — who are on city streets.

Man arrested, 'ghost guns' seized after shooting in Langford

Mounties have arrested a 41-year-old man and seized several prohibited firearms, including homemade "ghost guns," after a shooting earlier this year in Langford, B.C.

Police responded to multiple 911 calls reporting gunshots near the Jordie Lunn Bike Park around 12:25 a.m. on Feb. 20.

No one was injured in the shooting, but a witness told police they encountered a lone man brandishing a gun near the scene.

The West Shore RCMP released a seven-second surveillance video of the suspected shooter, urging anyone who recognized him to contact investigators immediately.

Mounties say the man has now been identified and arrested using information received from the public.

During a search of his Langford home, police seized "a significant number of restricted and prohibited firearms," including three loaded, homemade 3D-printed handguns, according to a statement from the detachment Thursday.

Officers also seized body armour, ammunition and evidence the man has been manufacturing the ghost guns, which are unregistered and difficult to trace due to their lack of serial numbers and other identifiable markings.

"The manufacture of homemade and 3D-printed firearms creates a huge risk to public safety," Insp. Stephen Rose of the West Shore RCMP said. "We would like to thank the public for assisting us in identifying the suspect."

Police say the suspect had no prior criminal record.

He has now been charged with reckless discharge of a firearm, pointing a firearm, possession of a prohibited weapon, contravention of storage regulations, and weapons manufacturing, according to the RCMP.

Evidence in the case is still being analyzed and more charges are expected, police said.

Air force major accused of smuggling firearms is award-winning marksman

An air force major who faces dozens of charges for smuggling and importing unauthorized firearms has also received multiple medals for being the top rifle marksman in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).

Maj. Kendrick Barling from the Royal Canadian Air Force won the Queen's Medal for Champion Shot three years in a row from 2011 to 2013, a spokesperson for the Department of National Defence (DND) confirmed in an email to CBC.

He took home the honour a fourth time in 2016, according to an article from the Maple Leaf, an online publication that shares stories about the Forces.

The prize is a "big deal," said retired lieutenant-colonel Rory Fowler, a former military lawyer now in private practice.

Barling returned to Canada in August after five years in the U.S., according to a news release from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

His household goods were shipped through Canadian Forces Base Trenton where "numerous undeclared firearms" were found "hidden throughout the shipment," it reads.

Investigators with the CBSA's Ontario firearms smuggling enforcement team then searched a home in Kingston and another in Petawawa in October.

The agency said they seized two shotguns, seven handguns, 10 rifles and roughly 45,000 rounds of ammunition, along with hundreds of magazines, some of which were over capacity.

CBSA also said multiple firearms had duplicate serial numbers.

The agency declined an interview and did not directly respond to questions about the firearms that were seized, citing the ongoing investigation.

Barling is charged with five counts of smuggling goods into Canada, as well as two counts each of making false statements and importing goods without a permit.

He also faces nine counts each of importing a firearm knowing it is unauthorized and unauthorized importing of a firearm, plus two counts of contravening transportation regulations.

$2M in meth, fentanyl, other drugs, illegal guns and cash seized in Red Deer’s largest bust ever: ALERT

More than $2 million worth of drugs, guns, body armour and cash was seized in Red Deer and an alleged high-level dealer arrested in what officials believe is the largest drug bust in the history of the central Alberta city.

It was the fourth-largest fentanyl seizure to date by Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) in all of the province, the agency said Tuesday.

“Given the volume of the drugs seized and our knowledge of the investigation, it’s fair to say that the suspect was supplying drugs to street-level dealers in and around Red Deer,” ALERT Insp. Brad Lundeen said.

The suspect was known to law enforcement, Lundeen said.

ALERT said the suspect illegally owned the guns found in his house, adding he has a lifetime firearms ban stemming from a 2002 investigation in Fort McMurray in which he was convicted of drug trafficking.

Lundeen said gangster and members of organized crime groups are generally committed to that lifestyle, in spite of criminal convictions.

“It’s very common to see throughout their lifetime, throughout our careers as police officers and as investigators, the same people recycle through the system as it relates to drug trafficking and firearms offences,” Lundeen said.

Kroetsch was charged with possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking, possession of property obtained by crime, and 28 firearms-related offences.

Two brothers, aged 14 and 18, charged in fatal Calgary shooting

A 14-year-old boy is charged with first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder following Monday’s deadly daylight shooting at a Marlborough Park strip mall.

His 18-year-old brother is charged with one count of accessory to murder after the fact, Calgary police said Tuesday.

The two were arrested after they fled the scene in a truck and were later seen entering separate residences in the southeast community of Dover.

Monday’s fatal attack, the fifth shooting in less than a week, occurred around 2 p.m. outside the Save-On Foods store at the TransCanada shopping centre, at 16th Avenue and 52nd Street N.E.

One person was killed and two others were critically injured.

Staff Sgt. Sean Gregson with the homicide unit said police believe the targeted incident is connected to another shooting in the past week, but “which one specifically, we’re still working on that.”

He added that police will also investigate the two suspects, who can’t be named to protect the identity of the 14-year-old under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Gregson told media the public faces an increased risk with rising gang violence, while adding police are also exploring whether criminals are exploiting minors to commit serious crimes.

“We’re very alive to the possibility, also given the immaturity of the people involved,” he said Tuesday. “We’ve seen young offenders involved in crime for a long time; to this degree, that’s taken it to a very serious and concerning level.”

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