Two Westlock men are facing 28 firearms-related charges each following the seizure of more than 13 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition last weekend. Barrhead RCMP Sgt.
Two Westlock men are facing 28 firearms-related charges each following the seizure of more than 13 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition last weekend.
Barrhead RCMP Sgt. Bob Dodds said officers executed a search warrant at a rural property in the Linaria area of Westlock County on Nov. 15 and on Nov. 19, seizing 13 firearms or parts thereof, and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
Included in the seized weaponry was an AK-74 and an MP-5, two automatic weapons that are illegal in Canada, Dodds said. An AK-74 is an updated version of the well-known AK-47, he explained.
In addition, he said officers seized the top half of two weapons that are likely either an M-16 or AR-15. He said which firearm the pieces actually belong to can't be known without the rest of the weapon.
Other pieces seized included 13 prohibited magazines, which are illegal because of their 30-round capacity, as well as gunpowder and equipment designed to load firearms.
The 28 charges laid include six counts of improper storage of a firearm, six counts of unauthorized possession, 13 counts of unauthorized possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm, two counts of possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm with ammunition, and one count of possession of a firearm with an altered, defaced or missing serial number.
Dodds did not release the names of the two men charged, but said one is in custody. The second man is still on the loose and considered dangerous. 'We are reasonably sure he has access to firearms," he said.Dodds likened the two men to James Roszko, the man who killed four RCMP officers near Mayerthorpe in March 2005.
'You hear about how bad a guy Roszko was, but every community has someone like him," Dodds said. 'This guy is better armed and at least as dangerous as Roszko. The difference is Roszko went off."
Dodds said he can't speculate why the two men would be stockpiling such an arsenal. He said he's heard talk about the Freemen On The Land movement, but there's 'no indication" these men followed that doctrine.
There were no drugs or other criminal paraphernalia at the residence, he added.
'There is nothing to indicate why this person feels the need to arm himself," Dodds said.
He added there are a lot of people who are well armed and their arsenal is legal and rational.
'But to have prohibited weapons and handguns and thousands of rounds of ammunition, that's not normal," he said. 'We're in Canada. It's a liberal and peaceful country and there's no need to be armed like this."
Dodds explained what went into the seizure is a good example of the risks RCMP officers take every day, adding officers likely approach similar scenarios hundreds of times a day.
'It's fortunate the guy was not there, or else it could have been a gun fight," he said.
In rural Alberta, the 'vast majority" of homes have firearms inside them, so when RCMP go to them, they simply assume there are weapons there, in order to be as safe as possible.
Taking into account the fact all the guns seized were not locked up, Dodds said he wanted to make one thing clear about long-gun ownership.
Although it is no longer required that long guns be registered, owners still need to be properly licensed and the guns need to be locked up securely when not in use, with the ammunition locked up in a separate location, he said.
While Dodds did not identify either man involved in the seizure, John Charles Wiese appeared in Westlock Provincial Court on Nov. 26 via CCTV from the Edmonton Remand Centre to face 28 firearms related charges and had the matters set over until Dec. 4.
