HOW POLICE AND LAWMAKERS CAN ADDRESS THE GHOST-GUN ISSUE
The U.S. has a particular historically fraught relationship with guns. That is not going away any time soon. We have a level of control over how we deal with this issue in Canada. Temitope Oriola
The Edmonton Police Service recently announced a major seizure of firearms. These were no ordinary firearms. The items seized included 16 homemade Glock-style firearms, a commercial 3-D printer as well as firearms blueprints, among others.
This marks the latest in a series of arrests and seizures made in connection to ghost gun manufacturing in Canada. In 2023, over 400 guns were confiscated and 45 people arrested across eight provinces. These were Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan.
Ghost guns printed with 3-D machines are difficult to detect even by relatively sophisticated scanners at international airports, especially when conveyed in bits and pieces for later assembly. Ordering of gun parts online is a growing issue, which taps into a kind of virtual armoury à la carte. Such plastic firearms have no serial numbers; they are unregistered and untraceable. They often contribute to dead ends in police investigations.
These firearms underscore seismic technological changes vis-a-vis the weapons industry and its associated economies. They also accentuate how law enforcement organizations play catch-up with non-state private actors exploiting legal loopholes.
Cody Wilson, an American citizen, stands out regarding how we got to the current situation. In 2012, Wilson posted online blueprints for how to print guns at home. Wilson has been relatively transparent about his intentions. He aims to “make Wikileaks for guns” based on the presumption that “the idea of gun control in the internet age is inoperable.” A 2018 ABC News report notes that Wilson has gone further with a desk-size milling machine controlled by a computer, which costs about $2,700. This produces metal versions of ghost guns that “can be similar to what you buy at a gun store.” This is the Elon Musk of ghost guns.
Public safety is at stake. There is a need to have a much stronger legal framework to control the production and distribution of ghost guns. While it is legal to purchase 3-D printers, printing guns in one’s basement is illegal under Canadian law. Such guns are part of so-called privately made firearms (PMFS). There needs to be increased public awareness about the illegality of this act.
We may also consider requiring registration of
3-D printers with particular attention to the industrial-scale types. This is not as controversial as it may sound at first blush. For instance, we require citizens to obtain annual licences for their pets. We also regulate how many dogs and cats are permissible in each home. Edmonton residents are allowed no more than six cats and three dogs in each home. Those seeking to license a pet must be at least 18 years old. If we have put serious thought into possession of pets, why not direct the same level of attention to ghost guns and the tools used to make them?
Interagency co-operation is absolutely vital in tackling the menace of ghost guns.
It is instructive that the Edmonton Police Service received information in 2023 from the Quebec provincial police firearms team. The suspect arrested in Edmonton had been purchasing parts from Montreal. This is evidence of good police work. It underscores the salience of intelligence gathering and sharing.
Canadian authorities also need to keep a close eye on the situation in the U.S. regarding the legal entanglements and innovations of Cody Wilson and his peers. The U.S. has a particular historically fraught relationship with guns. That is not going away any time soon. We have a level of control over how we deal with this issue in Canada.
It is important to begin formal collection of statistics related to ghost guns: individual actors, syndicates, arrests, location, weapons types, outcomes of legal cases, et cetera. Such statistics are crucial for understanding the problem and establishing basic patterns and trends over time.