"Videos of a man who appeared to be assembling a rifle outside a Toronto store that were shared online garnered thousands of views and the attention of police, who briefly took the man into custody before letting him go. But while the incident raised alarm bells for a shop owner whose security cameras captured the incident, one legal expert says simply holding pieces of what appears to be a firearm doesn't mean police can press charges."
"Police say they responded to calls about a man attempting to assemble a rifle near Broadview Avenue and Dundas Street around 8:20 a.m. Wednesday in an emailed statement to CBC Toronto. Officers did not press charges as there was no ammunition present and "the rifle was in pieces and inoperable," police said. They said the firearm parts were seized and will be destroyed."
"Police did not clarify when CBC News asked if the rifle found at the scene was a real firearm. WATCH | What happens to weapons after they're seized by police? Each year, police seize hundreds of guns off Toronto streets. But what happens to the weapons after they get picked up? CBC's Chris Glover got exclusive behind-the-scenes access with police to find out how it works."
A man was recorded attempting to assemble rifle parts outside a Toronto store near Broadview Avenue and Dundas Street around 8:20 a.m. Security cameras captured the incident and the shop owner's TikTok videos earned over 200,000 views in a day. Officers arrived, handcuffed the man briefly, seized the firearm parts and released him about ten minutes later. Police did not press charges because there was no ammunition and the rifle was described as in pieces and inoperable; the parts were seized for destruction. Police did not clarify whether the parts constituted a real firearm. A legal expert noted that possessing disassembled parts alone may not meet the legal threshold for firearm charges.
Read at www.cbc.ca
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