A St. Boniface man has been arrested in connection with what police call a ‘straw purchase’ – a situation where a legal gun owner buys a firearm with the intention of illegally transferring it to someone who wouldn’t be able to obtain one themselves.
The investigation began with a traffic stop in Ontario, when Ontario Provincial Police pulled over a 35-year-old driver and found a loaded 9 mm handgun in his vehicle.
The gun, police said, was registered to a Winnipegger, and it hadn’t been reported lost or stolen.
As a result, Winnipeg police arrested a 45-year-old local man at a St. Boniface-area home, where they also seized a 9 mm Beretta hangun, a 9 mm Smith & Wesson handgun, and a restricted Smith & Wesson AR-15 rifle.
The man faces two counts of storing a firearm or restricted weapon contrary to regulations, as well as a weapons trafficking charge.
He was released on a promise to appear.
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