Canada May Ease Gun Rules For Foreign Police

Critics charge the proposal, under review, is an attack on Canadian sovereignty, will make it harder to track who has guns, result in more cross-border police pursuits and open the border to gun smuggling. Further, it's so vaguely worded it raises questions about what would happen if a U.S. officer discharged a weapon here, and who would be covered under the new regulation: Would it apply to bounty hunters? "We don't need people who are not accountable to Canadian authorities carrying deadly weapons," said Alan Young, a professor at Osgoode Hall Law School. "Allowing foreign jurisdiction officials to come in with guns is not very much different from inviting an army in – it's just a matter of numbers." Loosening red tape is an obvious benefit for U.S. officers, said Capt. John DeMarco of the Niagara Falls, N.Y. police. In a few instances, he recalled, officers have waited weeks for a permit to cross into Canada for a matter that should have been dealt with immediately. "Any time you've got to do paperwork, it's always a pain, especially if you're only going over there for a short period of time." However, he said, officers in his department have rarely entered Canada armed. Most often, American officers only bring their guns into Canada for ceremonial services, such as police funerals, so they can attend in full uniform. http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/266844 [Proofreader’s note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on October 16, 2007]

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