Guns in Toronto shootout, Hamilton killing linked to U.S. trucker's smuggling scheme (www.cbc.ca)

submitted 2 hours ago by HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works to c/canada@lemmy.ca

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A former trucker from Florida has been sentenced to more than four years in U.S. prison after smuggling handguns into Canada that were later recovered at 10 crime scenes in Ontario and Quebec, and linked to two killings.

Court documents reviewed by CBC News provide a rare glimpse into a cross-border pipeline for crime guns.

The scheme saw U.S. firearms purchased legally, then transported up to 2,000 kilometres north to be re-sold to a Canadian trafficker for the retail price of the gun, plus a $1,000 fee for each weapon.

One of the weapons was found in Toronto after what police described as a "reckless" shootout in November 2024 that they said highlighted the "real and present danger" posed by illegal firearms.

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[-] Cracks_InTheWalls@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

...so it's relevant to the story (speaks to alibi and methodology), but there's something about 'former trucker' being used in the lede that bugs me.

After the Clownvoy, 'trucker' is a term that carries a specific kind of weight here (to the detriment of the fine men and women who bring us our food and don't carry on with nonsense). Don't know if that's just me or if there's something worth pondering here. Admittedly I get the same weird feeling from other common terms ('sweet treat', for instance. Couldn't tell you why.)

[Fuck the Clownvoy, btw. Also fuck this clown for trafficking firearms into our country, separate from that other feeling]

[-] NoxAstrum@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 hours ago

Well, we'd better take all my legally owned guns away then. They're obviously the problem. Let's ignore the largest source of firearms used in crime: the border.

Absolute genius level governance.

[-] HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 hour ago

Not sure how a story about FloridaMan bringing illegal guns into Canada has anything whatsoever to do with your ability to own legal guns.

But you do you I guess.

[-] DScratch@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 hour ago

Because crime is used as a reason to restrict legitimate access to firearms.

Two years ago today, we froze the handgun market and stopped handguns from being bought, sold, or transferred anywhere in Canada.

We choose your safety over the gun lobby — every time.

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) October 21, 2024

While I do agree there are certain firearms that are higher risk than others, I don’t think stopping legitimate owners and users was the right call to curb crime and improve safety.

[-] HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works 0 points 56 minutes ago

Well tbh your quote is specifically about handguns, not firearms in general. So no, I don't agree with you at all.

Handguns can be concealed and are often used in robberies and murders. Long guns are usually used for hunting.

[-] DScratch@sh.itjust.works 1 points 46 minutes ago

The OP is specifically about handguns.

Long guns can be cut down. 20 mins and a hacksaw blade get you a saw-off shotgun. Not quite as pocketable as a small handgun, but very lethal at close range.

[-] HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works 0 points 41 minutes ago

I was referencing this quote ...

Well, we'd better take all my legally owned guns away then.

They generalized guns when the article focused on handguns.

[-] ikidd@lemmy.world 3 points 54 minutes ago

Because every time there's an incident, it's never the thousands of illegal guns pouring over the border that gets the blame, it's somehow legal gun owners that need to pay a new price.

It's like giving more money to cops instead of addressing mental health issues to stop crime. Dog and pony show.