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The RCMP had 45 firearms stolen under their watchful eye since 2014, including 33 handguns and a grenade launcher.

“If the RCMP has truly lost these weapons, the matter should be fully investigated and the public should be worried,” former RCMP major crime investigator Bruce Pitt-Payne told CTV News.

“I don’t know what the situation is or why so many are unaccounted for,” he said, “however, the RCMP must be absolutely forthright about this with the public if they want to retain the trust of Canadians.”

The shocking media report prompted swift pushback from firearm advocates, who are demanding answers. Some suggest “internal trafficking” may be involved within the police service.

Poilievre 'understands' firearms issue unlike previous Conservative leaders: Rod Giltaca

Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights CEO @CivilAdvantage1 joins The @EzraLevant Show, where he explained that unlike past leaders of the Conservative Party of Canada, Pierre Poilievre has a… pic.twitter.com/XX0bDEOYkP

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) December 25, 2024

“I think the evidence indicates that firearms belonging to police are stolen with some frequency,” Rod Giltaca, CEO of the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights, told CTV News.

“It certainly doesn’t engender confidence in those who we are told are held to a higher standard.”

More than 19,000 police officers are employed by the RCMP, according to recent hiring data.

An astonishing 33 handguns, seven rifles, four shotguns and a grenade launcher have been reported stolen from the police service since 2014. It is not known how many weapons were recovered, or how many incidents resulted in criminal charges. 

The data, obtained through an access to information request, revealed most of the carnage happened in 2016, when 22 firearms were stolen. Another 349 firearms have been reported lost, with less than two-thirds of these weapons recovered to date. 

98% of the firearms seized by the CBSA were of foreign origin

The RCMP recorded 28,600 firearm seizures between 2022 and September 2024.

MORE by @SheilaGunnReid: https://t.co/e5Rp4mSmoP

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) December 13, 2024

“The RCMP should not be losing or misplacing guns, period,” said Pitt-Payne, a 26-year veteran of the force. 

“All should be accounted for and able to be located immediately,” he continues. “If not, an immediate investigation should be launched. Should an investigation find a person to be responsible for a firearm, that person should be investigated under the criminal code and RCMP Act.”

Giltaca notes that RCMP members have been found guilty of trafficking firearms in the past, and should be punished more punitively than a civilian in similar circumstances. 

“This is because a higher level of trust and confidence is expected, and betrayal of that trust should be taken into consideration as well as the charge itself,” he said. Rebel News attempted to reach the federal police service for clarification but did not hear back at publication. 

The RCMP told CTV that all stolen, missing or lost police firearms must be reported for any necessary investigations. It is not known how many, if any, inquiries have been launched into the 45 firearms.

And they say 'we' can't be trusted with our firearms.

Of course, they have to sign off the article by stating that far more civilian firearms go missing, but really, that's to be expected.

RCMP firearms are supposed to be state of the art, and stored in impregnable facilities.… pic.twitter.com/3v6c9MgDxZ

— Canada's National Firearms Association (@CanadasNFA) January 27, 2025

“Can you imagine the uproar and near-certain criminal prosecution if this had been a private individual?” Nicolas Johnson, editor of the Gun Blog, told Rebel News.

However, far more civilian firearms are stolen each year in Canada, reported CTV News, citing 2,196 theft incidents in 2021, followed by 2,086 thefts the subsequent year, Statistics Canada showed. The agency also notes that stolen firearms were identified in at least eight homicides in 2022.

The National Firearms Association (NFA) countered that “RCMP firearms are supposed to be state of the art, and stored in impregnable facilities.”

“We have a huge double standard in how different people are treated, and it isn't right,” adds Johnson.

Peel Regional Police: "Nearly all of the firearms that are used in carjackings and home invasions are illegal firearms that are illegally smuggled through the US."
And yet Justin Trudeau wants to take guns away from law-abiding Canadians?https://t.co/TTs0E4GGlP pic.twitter.com/z8Kqw0M2ny

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) July 23, 2024

A separate access to information request by Dennis Young, a firearms researcher, found that 640 firearms were lost by law enforcement and public agencies from 2005 to 2019. 

Another 173 were stolen during that period, including one machine gun, a fully-automatic C8 — the type of rifle used by the Canadian Armed Forces.

“Personally, I don’t have a concern regarding the grenade launcher,” said Giltaca, “It’s unlikely police forces have an explosive ordinance for these devices,” he clarified. 

“The handguns are a particular problem because they are favoured by people who are more likely to use them in a violent offence as they’re easily concealed.”

Among the 469 handguns reported lost includes a Smith & Wesson 5946 RCMP service pistol, reported the Toronto Sun, that was lost by someone on the prime minister’s protection detail back in 2007.

“And they say ‘we’ can't be trusted with our firearms,” concludes the NFA, in a social media post.