r/canadaguns • u/Plastic-Fan-887 • 1d ago
Throwback to the day my kids found a short barreled, .38 spl on the beach.
If I wasn't licensed, I probably would have kept it. Found on a well used beach in southern Ontario. The little plastic tag was interesting. I assumed it was a price tag at some point.
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u/jaredw6697 1d ago
Lord ive seen what you can do for others…
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u/mwmwmwmwmmdw onterrible 1d ago
back in the before times there was a process i belelive of rebarrelling prohib pistols to be restricted
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u/InGenScientist 1d ago
Does the off duty refer to this as a police gun?
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u/Imastealyourorgans 1d ago
No, its a model name. The company is charter arms, and I’m really surprised it made its way up here, I would guess it’d be linked to crime
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u/parkADV 1d ago edited 1d ago
It isn’t surprising at all. The most popular guns with criminals in Canada are short barreled pistols from the states that are straw purchased down there and then smuggled up. Criminals can double or triple their money selling them to gangs up here.
Cheap guns are popular - Charter Arms, Taurus, Hi Points, and all the pot metal Saturday Night Specials. So this is exactly the type of gun that would be bought from a pawn shop or gun show in the States and smuggled up, probably used once, and thrown in a lake or River.
I hope the OP called it in. It’s in rough shape but might be able to be linked to a shooting.
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u/Plastic-Fan-887 1d ago
I did. The Niagara Regional Police came and picked it up.
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u/KingChrisXIV 1d ago
Out of interest, how did that work? Did you have to wait for them to show up or did you just tell them them where to find it?
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u/Plastic-Fan-887 1d ago
They asked if I'd be willing to wait around for them to show up. I wasn't in a rush and the kids were having fun, so I did. They showed up in about 10-15 minutes.
We get to call that beach, Gun Beach now. So, something positive came out of it.
Edit: i called the non-emergency line at first and didn't get an answer. Then I called 911 and apologetically told them, "sorry I know this this isn't an actual emergency, we can end the call at any time. But I found a gun."
They seemed amused that I didn't think it was an emergency. 😆
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u/Patsboy101 1d ago edited 1d ago
It isn’t surprising at all. The most popular guns with criminals in Canada are short barreled pistols from the states that are purchased legally down there and then smuggled up.
While you are generally correct about how these guns end up in Canada, you are incorrect about these purchases being “legal purchases.” Buying a gun for someone who is prohibited from owning firearms or will use it in a crime is highly illegal in the US.
We have a form in the US that we fill out each time we purchase a firearm at a licensed gun store called the ATF Form 4473, and there are few questions you would run afoul of purchasing for a criminal who will commit a crime.
Namely:
- a Are you the actual transferee/buyer of all of the firearm(s) listed on this form and any continuation sheet(s) (ATF Form 5300.9A)? Warning: You are not the actual transferee/buyer if you are acquiring any of the firearm(s) on behalf of another person. If you are not the actual transferee/buyer, the licensee cannot transfer any of the firearm(s) to you.
21.b Do you intend to sell or otherwise dispose of any firearm listed on this form and any continuation sheet(s) in furtherance of any felony or other offense punishable by imprisonment for a term of more than one year, a Federal crime of terrorism, or a drug trafficking offense?
If you say no to these questions on the 4473 and give the gun(s) you purchased to criminals, that is a felony that the purchaser who filled out the 4473 has just committed.
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u/parkADV 1d ago
I know that straw purchases are illegal, I just didn’t want to write a novel. I’ll edit my post to clarify.
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u/Patsboy101 1d ago edited 1d ago
I get you. But if someone who has no idea about firearm laws randomly surfs through this post, I don’t want the impression to be left on them that the US is the Wild West.
There is a lot more that goes into gun purchases within the US that the non-gunowning joe who has never purchased a gun is not aware of.
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u/parkADV 1d ago
Some people might be interested to know that straw purchasing happens in Canada as well. It’s less common in the big cities close to the border with established smuggling networks. But further north where it’s harder to get smuggled guns, criminals recruited licensed buyers to purchase a bunch of handguns (when that was still possible) then falsely report them stolen. They’re sold onto the black market. The profit margins weren’t as good, but criminal enterprise always finds a way.
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u/LT_Minderbinder98 1d ago
Thank you for not being a massive try-hard dork. SOMEONE ELSE couldn’t help themselves.
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u/Afrocowboyi 1d ago edited 1d ago
Isn’t this state to state and not the case for states like Georgia and Florida?
There was a fun vice series with Micheal K Williams that explored criminal life and showed how people could buy pistols for $250 out of trunk in GA and drive them up to NY and get $1500 from criminals that “need protection” and can’t get it legally.
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u/Patsboy101 1d ago
You might be thinking of the legality of private sales of firearms between individuals. Federally, it is okay to sell your guns privately to another person who resides in the same state as you and is not a prohibited person (e.g. you can’t knowingly sell a gun to a felon) but states can mandate if they wish for all gun sales to go through a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) aka a licensed gun dealer.
For example, my state of Washington requires all firearm sales to go through an FFL whereas private firearm sales in Idaho are perfectly okay. The catch though is that I as a resident of Washington cannot legally buy a gun from an Idaho resident in a private sale unless we facilitate the sale through an FFL. The FFL has to obey all federal and state laws applicable (So, an Idahoan couldn’t sell me an AR-15 because it is an “Assault Weapon” according to my state’s asinine laws)
And regarding the Vice series, those individuals buying those guns in Georgia and then reselling them in New York on the black market are breaking multiple state and federal laws. These black market guns are very commonly stolen and they often have their serial numbers grounded off.
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u/pukalo_ 1d ago
It might have been abandoned pre-1995.
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u/Imastealyourorgans 1d ago
I feel like there would be much more rust on it if that were the case lol
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u/Lomeztheoldschooljew 1d ago
Welp… it’s legal now. That bitch is definitely disabled permanently
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u/No-Flower3223 12h ago
Could be restored very easily. Haven't you seen the YouTube channel of that dude in Europe who restores rusted rifles from the eastern front as well as many others?
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u/GodsGiftToWrenching 1d ago
Looking at that barrel length I'm assuming that wasn't used for target shooting lol
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u/MostEnergeticSloth 1d ago
Considering the last time a pistol with a barrel this short was purchasable by the average gun owner, the Charter Arms Off-Duty didn't exist, I'd say you're right. Lol
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u/NoireOwO 1d ago
You guys ever see those magnet fishing videos? And they always find a gun and call the cops? Let’s be honest…..would you? 😂
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u/Late_Winner6859 1d ago
I would, 100%.
It’s most likely linked to a crime, and all current confiscation nonsense aside- it’s in my best interest to help police fight against actual crimes in my community.
And it’s probably unusable anyways lol
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u/mwmwmwmwmmdw onterrible 1d ago
it’s in my best interest to help police fight against actual crimes in my community.
just so a judge can give them speedy bail and a slap on the wrist if they bother showing up for court at all
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u/Late_Winner6859 1d ago
So the government would not act in your best interests? WOW, big surprise. Guess what, neither would criminals. Doesn’t mean you should stop doing what’s right.
Of course, if there were significant personal risks, that changes the equation. Not the case here
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u/streetweiss 1d ago
No I wouldn’t, especially with the government trying to disarm us, I’m not doing them any favours
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u/bullshitfreebrowsing 1d ago
Hi sir I am a police officer please surrender the item by mailing it to the following address ... thanks for your cooperation
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u/Professional-Fly892 16h ago
Lucky! All I find on the beach is empty shotgun hulls and tampon applicators.
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u/mjbonne 1d ago
I guess someone actually did loose their gun in an unfortunate boating accident