Unclassified | Non classifié Unclassified | Non classifié Standing Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs Consideration of Bill C-21 October 23, 2023 QUESTION: Senator Kutcher: I’m glad to see that that’s starting. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m assuming once you get this data, it will be populated with Stats Canada so we can ask for that. That’s good to know. Thank you, Mr. Flynn, for the tracing issue, because that was my question to you. It was a perfect segue. What proportion of guns seized at crime scenes are actually traceable? Why can some guns not be traced?

Is there a notice on the manufacturer to make the guns traceable? Help me understand this conundrum here. Deputy-Commissioner Flynn: I will start, and I may need to turn to my colleague if you require more granularity than I can provide. Working from the stats for 2022, there were 5,022 firearm traces done. Of those, 1,888 were successfully traced to the point at which they entered the illegal market. Senator Kutcher: That’s quite a small number, proportionally. Mr. Flynn: It is two thirds. We considered it to be a success to start with. Senator Kutcher: All right.

Deputy-Commissioner Flynn: There are 3,000 that could not be traced to the point at which they entered the illegal market. I’ll stop there, and I’ll turn to my colleague. Is there additional granularity to those statistics you’re able to share or is that it? New Speaker: The serial numbers. As you know, with many firearms, there are no serial numbers. Whether they have been removed, ghost guns, et cetera. Senator Kutcher: Is there anything that manufacturers of guns can be asked to do to make them more traceable? The Chair: We do have to move on. These are great questions.

Senator Kutcher: Could we get a written response for that? The Chair: If we could, that would be very helpful. Thank you. RESPONSE: Firearms tracing is a key tool in determining the sources of and diversion routes for illegal firearms. In order to trace a crime gun, law enforcement must be able to “follow the trail” of Unclassified | Non classifié Unclassified | Non classifié the firearm from point-of-origin to its current state. Without adequate and consistent markings, the ability to trace the firearm to its criminal end becomes extremely difficult.

The traceability of a firearm depends on a variety of factors, one of which is the application by manufacturers of specific markings, such as the firearm’s: make, model, manufacturer, caliber and serial number to the firearm’s receiver or frame. Firearms that are consistently marked by all manufacturers with this information, in approximately the same location (i.e. on the receiver or frame) would improve the traceability of the firearm in Canada. However, there is variability in this practice particularly with some international manufacturers given their respective legal frameworks.

For example, serial numbers are often present on most firearms regardless of their place of manufacturer; however, it is not always applied to the receiver or frame, which is considered the controlled component in Canada. In other countries, such as Germany, the serial number is applied to the barrel which is considered the controlled component. The absence of serial numbers on the receiver or frame impacts tracing in Canada, especially as modern manufactured modular designs facilitate easy removal/replacement of barrels, slides, and stocks.

As a result of recent federal investments, the Canadian National Firearms Tracing Centre (CNFTC) has expanded its tracing capacity and is working to increase law enforcement’s awareness of firearms tracing and the value it brings to investigations. Over the past two years, the CNFTC has exponentially increased the number of firearms traces by 140%. The firearms tracing priority has been supported by a Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) resolution for mandatory crime gun tracing and the RCMP policy for all crime guns to be submitted for tracing.

Finally, Canadian National Firearms Tracing Centre continues to actively collaborate with domestic and international law enforcement partners to identify the origin of smuggled firearms and illicit trafficking patterns through intelligence sharing and the exchange of best practices.