RCMP got it right/wrong

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maltextract

maltextract

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I was chatting at the local gas station with the owner and a RCMP member, topic turned to guns, part of the conversation turned to illegal guns, then to sawn-offs. I stated that as long as the shotgun was manufactured that way that short barreled shotguns we legal if the OAL was 26". RCMP member flat out said that if he ever saw someone with a shotgun with a barrel less that 18.5" he would seize the gun and charge the person unless they had a prohib permit. I said that if it was manufactured not altered it was legal, he insisted that this was not true, made various implications that he had to be right (as a LEO) and traveled the everything-you-read-on-the-internet-is-not-true river. I quietly insisted that it was true, mentioned the key word ALTERED, and mentioned that Norinco and Dominion Arms manufactures and sells these very shotguns. I know that not all LEO are gun people (this guy is a hunter) but I would hope to hell that this guy a rural RCMP member, would at least know that the definition of Non-Restricted, Restricted and Prohibited guns. If he ever sees me at the pits (crown) blasting away with my shotgun I may just end up in the ####. This kinda thing pisses me off, I follow all the legal guidelines and a LEO that didn't quite grasp the meaning of a single word would have my ass standing tall before the man.
 
I bet this wreck will barely leave the train station...


But yes. Some police officers have a god complex.
 
it wasn't the god complex that was bothering me so much as the denial that it could possible be any other way. What made me scratch my head is he actually quoted part of the relevant chunk of the FA "rifles and shotguns that have been altered so that their barrel length is less than 457 mm" . Yes ALTERED being very key here.
 
I've had an argument with a cop of 30 years about guns and was told that any firearm that is a repeater (bolt, pump, lever) were all considered semi-auto, so the 5 shot limit was in place. After a few minutes I decided to change the subject! He's a great cop and an awesome guy, just doesn't know much about guns other than the one on his hip. After that conversation, I keep a pamphlet of the CFC Regs for storage and transportation in my car at all times.
 
if you've got a copy of the regulations in your car and you're trying to show how you're obeying them, isn't it obvious you aren't a criminal problem?
 
What makes you think police officers know anything about firearms or firearm regulations most are very poorly educated in this area unless they have a personal interest in firearms in general. They simply are able to express there views because they have the authority. Most do not even have a PAL.
 
You need to get off the intraweb and quit #####in and do something about it. Call his headquarters, talk to a staff sergeant and make sure that all of the officers under his command know the law. You are simply a concerned citizen that is scared of police who do not know the law and readily admit that they will arrest someone and seize their property for no reason at all. You will be doing yourself and any short barreled shotgun owner in your area a huge favor.
 
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To most of them, it's just a job. And like everyone else, no one knows everything of everything in whatever field they are doing.
 
maltextract said:
I know that not all LEO are gun people (this guy is a hunter)
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While there can be nasty side effects when it's cops, lots of people don't know the laws. Ask many gun store employees, or the stereotypical range know-it-alls, and you'll get the same attitudes. They're right, they know it, and no amount of evidence or reason will cure them.
 
Hawes said:
. . . He's a great cop and an awesome guy, just doesn't know much about guns other than the one on his hip. . . .
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That could be an assumption as well. I remember a conversation with an RCMP office years ago about shooting .38 specials in my .357 for plinking/practice. He warned me I would blow up the gun if I kept that up as everyone knows a .38 bullet is bigger than a .357 bullet.
 
I met an RCMP officer at my local gun range and we started talking guns I showed him my CZ858 and he didnt have a clue that it was legit. He told me he'd seize it and arrest me at gunpoint with a rifle "LOOKING" like that. The sad thing is its not his fault its the supperior that edjucated him.
 
reliablegun said:
like everyone else, no one knows everything of everything in whatever field they are doing.
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the RCMP have several giant books of laws, rules and regulations that they have to know and in some cases interpret to fit individual circumstances. however, their job does also give them the power of discretion. and they can seize something that they "believe" to be illegal, and then go through an elaborate process to get it examined or whatever, and be proved wrong. this is their job, and everyone makes mistakes. and when they are wrong you get your toys back
 
C185 it is interesting how you refer to one officer when all the police agencies are the most vocal about gun control and are the most vocal about total ban on hand guns and even gun ownership in general
 
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