Vulcan man chooses jail over fine for firearms offences

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on July 14, 2023.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

A 40-year-old Vulcan man caught last year with a number of guns for which he was not licenced to possess, has chosen a short jail sentence over a hefty fine.

Reed Robert Davis pleaded guilty Thursday in Lethbridge court of justice to charges of unauthorized possession of a firearm and contravening a regulation under the Firearms Act related to the storage, handling, transportation, shipping, display, advertising, and mail-order sales of firearms and restricted weapons. He was fined $500 for each of the charges, but opted instead to serve the default time of eight days in jail, for which he was given credit for time already spent in custody.

Court was told Davis previously possessed firearms licences and registration certificates for two restricted firearms but allowed the licences to expire in December of 2019. The certificates were revoked, but Davis never turned the guns over to police.

Crown Prosecutor Adam Garrett said police seized the guns from Davis’ parents’ home in Edson in June of 2021, and following a search of his shop in Vulcan a day earlier, police found a homemade, unregistered, restricted handgun that, despite being crudely made, still fired live rounds.

“Police were able to make that fire…but it fired just a .22 calibre round, and it required three elastic bands by the police to, for the lack of a better term, jerry-rig this device to make it fire,” Garrett said. He added police also found two non-restricted firearms in Davis’ shop.

Calgary lawyer Tyson Dahlem pointed out police also seized parts to non-restricted firearms that had not been completed.

“Mr. Davis was working, in part, as a gunsmith,” Dahlem explained.

In addition to the sentence, Davis, who does not have previous criminal convictions, was also prohibited from possessing weapons for 10 years. Additional charges of manufacturing a prohibited firearm, possession of an explosive substance, unauthorized possession of a prohibited or restricted weapon, and drug possession, were withdrawn.

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