A dramatic rise in the number of firearms stolen in Alberta over the past several years represents a very dangerous trend that will need a community-wide effort to counter.
The number of firearms reported stolen in this province has more than doubled over the past four years, including a 20 per cent increase in 2015, Marianne Ryan, the commanding officer of the RCMP in Alberta, reportedly said.
More than 1,300 guns were reported stolen in Alberta last year – and that doesn't include firearms stolen in Calgary or Edmonton.
Having so many illegal firearms in the hands of criminals is bad news for police, business owners and the general public, she said.
“From a public safety perspective, I really believe this is hitting very close to everyone's home,” Ryan reportedly said. “Even in a traffic stop, we (police officers) need to prepare for ‘what if there's a firearm in the vehicle'.”
Forty per cent of guns stolen in Alberta in 2015 were taken from vehicles, with others taken from homes, garages, barns and elsewhere. Not surprisingly, police have confirmed that some of those guns have already been used in armed robberies and other crimes.
While rural Alberta has so far been spared the firearm-related violence that has become all too commonplace in the larger centres such as Calgary and Edmonton, there can be no doubt that the dramatic increase in the number of gun thefts represents a threat to all residents.
As with other stolen property, guns taken by criminals tend to stay in the hands of criminals, creating an increasingly well-armed group of individuals and organizations that is operating in both urban and rural communities, including in West Central Alberta.
RCMP are encouraging members of the public to help counter the rise in gun thefts by ensuring that any firearms they own are kept safe and secure at all times.
“If you have diamonds, you lock them up; you put them in a safe,” she says. “These (guns) are valuable but lethal items, and they need to be treated as such.”
The public can also help get stolen guns off the streets by reporting suspicious gun-related criminal activity to Crime Stoppers or any RCMP detachment.
Having thousands of illegal guns circulating in Alberta represents a serious public safety hazard.
- Singleton is the Mountain View Gazette editor
