Rash of reckless gun incidents spreads
Two Kivalliq shootings involved youth; five-year-old injures family members by firing hunting rifle
Derek Neary
Northern News Services
Monday, July 17, 2017
NUNAVUT
Police continue to be busy responding to firearms incidents, including two in June that involved Kivalliq youth.
RCMP in Nunavut strongly encourage the territory's gun owners to properly store unloaded firearms in locked cabinets and/or use trigger locks. - photo courtesy of the RCMP |
On June 29, a 5-year-old loaded and fired a .223-calibre hunting rifle that had been left accessible in a Whale Cove home following a hunting trip by a family member.
The shrapnel from the bullet caused minor injuries to two adults and a youth in the residence. They went to the community's health centre for treatment and were released the same day, according to RCMP Sgt. David Lawson.
No charges were laid in regards to unsafe storage of the weapon, Lawson noted.
A few weeks earlier, a 14-year-old fired a .22-calibre rifle that wounded an 11-year-old in the abdomen in Arviat on June 12.
Lawson said the RCMP determined the shooting was accidental. He added that "discretion was used to pursue the matter through community justice with the agreement from families on both sides."
The injured boy has returned home after undergoing surgery in Winnipeg and is expected to make a full recovery, according to Lawson.
In a separate incident in Cape Dorset on July 7, police responded to several reports that rounds were being fired outside a home. A 19-year-old and a 35-year-old were subsequently charged with careless use and storage of firearms, discharging a firearm in a reckless manner and breach of probation. The RCMP also seized several firearms. There were no injuries.
Police continue to remind the public that it's illegal to use firearms within the community unless authorized and that all firearms and ammunition should be locked and stored in a safe manner.
Nunavut News/North's request to interview Karen Mowat, the chief firearms officer for Nunavut, about firearms safety in the territory was declined by the RCMP, who screen communications on Mowat's behalf. An RCMP spokesperson said Mowat may respond to questions in writing, but not before Nunavut News/North's press deadline.
During sentencing in a recent trial pertaining to armed robberies in Iqaluit, Justice Paul Bychok condemned the general inattention to gun safety in the territory and suggested that secured storage facilities through municipal governments may be the answer.
"I have already referred to the alarming number of firearm related offences happening across Nunavut," Bychok said, adding that public education, free trigger locks and past sentences in court "have not been effective" in fostering responsible fire arm storage.
"Far too many angry, intoxicated or mentally ill persons are grabbing firearms and putting at grave risk the lives and safety of others," said Bychok.
He drew particular attention to the number of "tragic situations" involving young people and firearms the Nunavut Court of Justice has dealt with over the past few years, making mention of Justice Neil Sharkey's previous comments on the matter prompting discussion in some communities in the past.
"These discussions focused on the prospect of allowing gun owners to store their firearms in a safe, secure and readily accessible hamlet facility," he said. "Perhaps, it is time to see such discussions renewed in earnest."
