Canada and the United States have agreed to trace guns seized at the border to reduce gun violence. Last year, 1,101 firearms were seized at the border, a government source said. The United States traces guns by requiring firearm dealers to record the serial numbers of the guns they sell and who purchased them. Tracing provides key intelligence to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), which can then investigate and prosecute buyers of firearms that are subsequently sold illegally or smuggled.
Canada’s Border Services Agency (CBSA) will cooperate with the ATF to trace guns seized at the border to see who purchased them and whether they were previously used in crimes. Previously, gun tracing in Canada has been inconsistent, with only 6-10% of guns involved in crimes traced, according to 2019 data from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), a federal agency.
Canada’s Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas announced four agreements in Ottawa aimed at addressing cross-border crime, including increased tracing of firearms. Mendicino said, “It means making even more progress on the tracing of illegal guns so that we can hold those criminals and organized criminal networks to account.”
The officials also agreed to further coordinate on issues such as human smuggling, money laundering, the use of cryptocurrency to fund illegal activities, and so-called ghost guns often made with 3D printers. They also discussed how to address the crisis in Haiti, and Mayorkas said he is working with Canada to find legal pathways for people fleeing violence in Haiti.
