In their fight against gun violence, police officers face a new threat, that of so-called “ghost” firearms, that is to say, firearms manufactured at home, most often using 3D printers. . They worry the authorities not only because they are added to other illegal weapons in circulation on the street, but also because, since they have no serial number, it is practically impossible to trace them.
“I am very concerned about this issue,” said Federal Minister of Public Security Marco Mendicino at the end of March at the Montreal Forum for the Fight Against Armed Violence, organized due to the resurgence of violence in the metropolis. .
Their appearance adds to the challenges law enforcement already faces, he said. In addition, three-dimensional printing technology makes it possible to manufacture these weapons quickly and inexpensively.
At the end of March, the minister went to the FBI Academy in Quantico, where special federal agents are trained. There he saw a gun being imprinted before his eyes.
Saying he was “very concerned”, he underlined the importance of sharing information with American intelligence services in order to block illicit arms trafficking, which obviously transcends borders.
Growing phenomenon
In the United States, these weapons abound in certain cities, to the point where President Joe Biden announced in February a plan specifically intended to crack down on these phantom weapons. According to him, they have contributed to a resurgence of armed violence.
They are of growing concern in Canada too: since the beginning of 2022, several seizures of 3D printers used to manufacture weapons have been reported in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, in addition to plastic printed gun frames. blue, red or black. Newfoundland Provincial Police say they first seized printed weapons in February.
And in Quebec, since September, seven 3D printers have been seized from illegal producers of firearms by the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), as well as plans allowing the design of weapons.
So much in such a short time, “it’s not something we saw before,” said Lieutenant Benoît Richard, of the SQ.
However, it is impossible to know the exact number of phantom weapons seized in Quebec.
The police forces of four of the five largest cities in Quebec — Montreal, Longueuil, Laval and Gatineau — do not keep any statistics on this subject. The City of Quebec reports having seized one. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the SQ and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) do not count them either: their number is confused with that of other types of firearms.
According to the SQ and the head of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), Sylvain Caron, printed weapons represent a small percentage of the weapons seized so far in 2022. , unfortunately,” the chef observed.
What is certain is that phantom weapons have indeed been used to commit crimes in the country, confirmed Corporal Caroline Duval, of the RCMP.
Indeed, “all illicitly manufactured firearms, not just 3D molded firearms, represent a real problem for public safety and law enforcement.”
“Making your own firearm with a 3D printer is not a hobby, it’s a crime,” said the CBSA on the occasion of a seizure.
It is illegal to make or possess a firearm — including an unassembled gun frame — without the proper license and registration certificate, said Patrick MaHaffy, the CBSA’s senior spokesperson. On the other hand, nothing in the Firearms Act prohibits the possession of a blueprint for the 3D printing of a firearm, added the RCMP. And you can easily find it on the web.
But if the printer and the plastic or metal filament can be bought in a big box store near you, this is not enough to create a weapon, wishes to specify Lieutenant Richard, of the SQ.
These printers make it possible to manufacture parts, such as the stock, but not entire firearms. It also requires certain “official parts”, made of metal, such as the combustion chamber and the barrel, so that the bullet can exit without detonating the weapon.
“What is complex is to make the weapon operational”, not to print the parts.
Information Sharing
In Quebec, the strategy Centaur was launched last September: bringing together several police forces under the coordination of the SQ, its mandate is to fight against firearms trafficking.
” Centaur, it works,” said Lieutenant Richard, particularly because of the collaboration with the CBSA. If everyone knows that weapons cross the border, to act requires information, which is the “sinews of war in the fight against illegal weapons”.
Last year, the CBSA seized 1,122 firearms at the border, more than double what was seized in 2020.
Its role is not trivial. For example, last February, a suspicious package from the United States was intercepted at an international mail processing center in Ontario. Upon examination, border services officers found that it contained undeclared firearm components, including metal parts and reinforcements most commonly inserted into the plastic frame of a printed handgun. This led to a search in Manitoba. Loot of the seizure? Including two 3D printed handguns and a printer.
During his recent visit to Washington, Minister Mendicino and his American counterpart rightly re-established the Cross-Border Crime Forum and agreed to share data “to track the source and movement of illegal firearms in our countries, including those that cross our border.