Alphecca: So It Wasn't Smith & Wesson!

October 28, 2005

So It Wasn't Smith & Wesson!

Just Smith himself! Jason D. Smith, to be exact. See, if you read Tuesday's Report here you learned that Canada is thinking of suing American gun companies:

One federal source said the [Canadian] government could file lawsuits against gun manufacturers when they lose track of those weapons.

"If (gunmaker) Smith & Wesson says to us, 'Well, we're not responsible for tracking the weapons once they leave our factory' - that's not good enough guys," said the official.

As if the gunmaker is supposed to personally keep track of every firearm they send to distributors. Turns out, it isn't their fault but the fault of people who steal or rob or who knows what. From the Seattle PI:

The owner of a Marysville baseball-card shop has been indicted on charges he ran guns to Canada.

The case marks the second time Jason D. Smith of Stanwood has been in trouble with federal officials lately.

In May, he was arrested along with a longtime Canadian border agent, Atlaf Merali, in an alleged conspiracy to smuggle marijuana.

Smith had pleaded guilty in that case and had been released pending sentencing when agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said they caught him trafficking in guns.

They arrested him in September after a confidential informant delivered a box of 21 handguns and an Uzi to his shop, A Bit of the Past, according to papers filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle.

Smith told the informant that the serial numbers of the guns would be removed in Canada and that they would be sold to marijuana growers and outlaw bikers, the agents said.

The informant said Smith had delivered hundreds of guns to Canada, and in particular to a man named Kendall, who lived east of Vancouver, B.C.

So perhaps Canada should sue this guy Smith instead. Oh yeah, criminals generally don't have much money. Incidentally, not to defend Smith but I'm generally against entrapment as a law tool. It just rubs me the wrong way.

Posted by Jeff Soyer at October 28, 2005 06:16 AM

Comments

Not to get ahead of ourselves, but just how exactly does the Canadian Government plan on doing this? In US courts? nope, the Lawful Commerce in Arms Act prevents that. In Canadian Courts? If it is illegal to purchase guns in the great frozen north, that means that they don't have distributors there right? How can you sue a company that does no business in your country and it is illegal to sue them in thier home country?

Sorry, I don't see how the mechanics of this would work. Sure, Sue them, they won't show up, the canadians will win by default, but how will they collect? Or is it all about winning some kind of "moral" victory?

Posted by: Rorschach at October 28, 2005 02:37 PM

First, it is not illegal to buy guns in Canada. You just need to register them. Which I disagree with.
Second, the govt. is going to sue those US gun makers that have assets in Canada, in Canadian court.

Posted by: timmy at October 28, 2005 05:27 PM

Sounds like what the gun makers should do is move out of Canada and go where they are appreciated.

Posted by: Robert Garrard at October 28, 2005 07:00 PM

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October 28, 2005

So It Wasn't Smith & Wesson!

By Golly, you're reading an archived post. Click Here to head to the main page and read current stuff...

Check it out:

My group sci-fi blog novel:

Colony: Alchibah