Canada –-(Ammoland.com)- Way back on January 10, 2018, news broke of a Winnipeg police officer who lost a magazine filled with ammunition for his service weapon. Pistol magazines are difficult to find once they fall out of an officer’s duty belt. They are black plastic, less than 15 cm long and 5 cm wide and are hard to see in low vegetation, even in broad daylight.
One aspect of the story is not that a police officer lost a handgun magazine, which happens. Not often, but it happens. The thing is, the officer has no idea where he lost the magazine, let alone when. The best estimate is December 28, 2017, and January 2, 2018 –– six full days before the officer noticed the magazine was missing.
Is it disturbing that police and news outlets told anyone who found the lost magazine and ammunition to bring it to the nearest police station?
This is the Winnipeg police counseling citizens to commit a crime, as the missing police pistol magazine is a prohibited device under Canadian law. Possession of a prohibited device is a crime under Section 92(3) of the Criminal Code of Canada, punishable, on first offense, by “imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years.”
Would police charge a person with possessing a prohibited device if they are returning a lost police magazine? Almost definitely not, but a ten-year prison term is a big chance to take, even if the odds are only 1 percent. One would be better to stand beside the lost item and call the police to retrieve it themselves. If you do not possess the prohibited device, you cannot be charged. Erring on the side of caution is probably the smartest move.
Of course, this also begs the question: if the item is so innocuous that police would advise citizens, without firearms licenses, to physically pick it up and deliver it to the nearest police station, is it really so dangerous it must be prohibited? Ah, you say, it must be inserted in a pistol. But still, nothing happens. Of course, a person has to pull the trigger, right? So really, the danger is in the person, not the pistol, and certainly not the magazine. So why is it prohibited and a mere 10 round mag is a non-regulated gun part? Are only the rounds over 10 dangerous? These are really stupid laws.
Just a few days ago, another Winnipeg police officer lost a magazine for his service pistol. This time, thankfully, the officer noticed almost immediately, and reported the loss within 3 hours of it happening, between 10 p.m. February 4 and 1 a.m. February 5, 2018.
Once again, police and media asked anyone who found the magazine to return it to the nearest police station.
We advise erring on the side of caution. If you find the missing magazines and ammunition, call the police non-emergency line and give them the location of the lost items. Let police retrieve them instead.
Sources:
- https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/gun-magazine-ammunition-lost-1.4480733
- https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-98-462/FullText.html
- https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-46/section-92.html
- https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/a-second-police-officer-loses-ammunition-magazine-472803233.html
About CSSA:
The CSSA is the voice of the sport shooter and firearms enthusiast in Canada. Our national membership supports and promotes Canada’s firearms heritage, traditional target shooting competition, modern action shooting sports, hunting, and archery. We support and sponsor competitions and youth programs that promote these Canadian heritage activities.
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I was a Correctional Officer for 14 years and when you were working an armed post you always checked to see if all of the equipment was there before you took over that post from the other officer. You counted every bullet, checked the guns and never let them go before all was accounted for. Missing ammo, keys or other things were your fault if you took that post without checking. It was hard to explain why you didn’t do your job before taking over the post. I once found a speedloader with ammo in it laying on the ground… Read more »
even when i check my pistol every night, and again when i wake up for the day to begin, i have NEVER lost a magazine or any assorary.
people get CARELESS, AND IT CAN GET THEM KILLED PERIOD.
i am NOT PERFECT NO ONE IS, BUT IT’S A INGRAINED HABIT I LEARNED AS A MARINE IN COMBAT YOU ALWAYS DO AN EQUIPMENT CHECK, ALWAYS.
That has to be embarrassing to lose part of your equipment that could be a life or death matter. Is the guy numb that he couldn’t feel something was missing? It seems someone would be reaming him a new one for dereliction of duty and, possibly, putting a citizen, or I mean subject, at risk.
If you see a police pistol magazine, do they offer free counseling?
We advise erring on the side of caution. If you find the missing magazines and ammunition, call the police non-emergency line and give them the location of the lost items. Let police retrieve them instead.
NO, CALL THE EMERGENCY NUMBER – THAT THING IS EVIL AND DANGEROUS!
If my partner was walking around without a mag in his weapon or an otherwise unloaded weapon he would have hell to pay. I mean real hell. Each of us rely on the weapons being cocked and locked and I mean EVERYONE. I used to tell my trainees if ever get injured because you surrendered your weapon and I survive “I will KILL you when I get out of the hospital”. If I die my wife will kill you. Yes I was in shootings and I survived unscathed.
“Only police can be trusted with guns! Because they have all that training!” And apparently they really believe that a lump of inanimate metal and plastic can jump right up off the ground and slaughter people, all by itself.
People (gov. bosses) usually open their mouth first to pass another ANTI -WHAT EVER bill BUT NEVER OPEN MIND TO WHAT it means after it gets passed buy another group of gov . bosses. Stupidity ……….
Police shouldn’t be allowed to carry such dangerous items like a magazine. A magazine falls into the wrong hands and someone might get killed.
The missing mags are probably stuck between their seats and the center consoles in their cruisers. Everything gets lost there! Or maybe they slid down into a saddlebag if they’re mounties?