Wild west showman reunited with replica cannon

A Calgary man who does wild west improvisation has been reunited with a cannon that was custom made for his group Guns of the Golden West.

The cannon was stolen in July 2018. Bob Wilson thought it was gone forever.

“My goodness, we never thought we’d see this,” Wilson told police when they showed him the cannon Thursday afternoon at police headquarters.

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What thieves likely didn’t know? It’s not a real weapon.

“Fires just blanks. It’s theatrical,” Wilson said. “It’s made to replicate what a cannon would have been in the day.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Fires just blanks. It's theatrical," Wilson said. "It's made to replicate what a cannon would have been in the day."

Police say they recovered the cannon from an alleged drug house following a three-month investigation.

It’s one of approximately 150 very unique items found in the house, along with drugs and money.

“It’s all part of the drug trafficking rings,” Const. Jeremy Shaw said.

Calgary police said it was all a part of Operation Daylight, specifically targeting methamphetamine drugs in the city.

“These items are being traded as currency, likely for drugs, or some other favour,” Shaw said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "These items are being traded as currency, likely for drugs, or some other favour," Shaw said.

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Police posted photos of the cannon on social media. It didn’t take long before the rightful owner was found.

“Thanks to the Calgary Police Service,” Wilson added. “This is just tremendous.”

Wilson says he looks forward to making the cannon a part of his shows once again.

The first stop will be a show at the Military Museums in Calgary on June 8 and 9.