Why were Canadian police officers checking out the Great Falls Gun Show last weekend?

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Why were Canadian police officers checking out the Great Falls Gun Show last weekend? That's what the sheriff of Cascade County wants to know.

560 KMON has obtained a document through the Freedom of Information Act that details what went down. At around ten Saturday morning organizers of the gun show said there was a suspicious person in the parking lot taking pictures of vehicles at the gun show. The man taking the pictures turned out to be officer Richard Kurina who identified himself as a lethbridge Police Officer who was working on a task force with the Canadian Mounted Police. He says the task force is designed to catch Canadians smuggling illegal firearms into Canada.


When Sheriff Jesse Slaughter found out about the Canadian Police officer doing surveillance work at the fairgrounds, he told him to leave, which he later did. In the report, the sheriff says he had serious concerns about the Canadian Police conducting surveillance without notifying his office that they would be there. The Canadian officer said he was conducting his investigation in conjunction with officer Craig Howe of the A-T-F. At that point, Sheriff Slaughter told the two officers that their investigation was over and they had to leave, which they did. Howe, the A-T-F agent told the sheriff that he does not have to tell the sheriff of any investigation because he is a federal agent.

The A-T-F agent also told the sheriff he was conducting another investigation into an American who was selling guns, adding that the American was not prohibited from possessing firearms. A-T-F Agent Craig later called the sheriff and told him that he and the Canadian officer had checked out of their hotels and were leaving the county.

The sheriff says by not contacting the sheriff's office that they were conducting an investigation could have created major officer safety issues.
 
So:

Anyone in America has the right to take photographs in public, even RCMP.

The sheriff can be as pissy about it as he wants, but the Mounties still have the right to photograph.

If the property owner wants to issue a notice of trespass, that's up to the property owner.
 
On what legal basis?

We are all for due process when done for us, but seem to forget about it when it is afforded to our political opponents.

You are correct. Just a gut reaction on my part. It just bugs the crap out of me when foreign countries send agents/police/operators into our country to perform surveillance.
 
Meh, if you have to do that then you've basically failed on your own side of the border.
So admission of failure right there.
Guess no one cares about the literal tons of fentanyl crossing the borders or the Cartel arms trade. Hint: they don't buy them at gun shows in Montana.
 
Or the overseas branches of the CIA with their secret prisons, along with the FBI and Secret Service overseas offices. Last but not least, DEA operatives in Mexico and other Latin American countries.
Like the China police service stations in many foreign countries, or the overseas branches of the NYPD.
 
So:

Anyone in America has the right to take photographs in public, even RCMP.

The sheriff can be as pissy about it as he wants, but the Mounties still have the right to photograph.

If the property owner wants to issue a notice of trespass, that's up to the property owner.
But what you don't have the right to do is conduct law enforcement activities out of your jurisdiction without the blessing of the local authority.
They weren't even in the right country.
 
So:

Anyone in America has the right to take photographs in public, even RCMP.

The sheriff can be as pissy about it as he wants, but the Mounties still have the right to photograph.

If the property owner wants to issue a notice of trespass, that's up to the property owner.
This wasn't Canadian citizens here just taking photos for private or even public use. This is a crooked as f***, dirty and compromised foreign law enforcement agency conducting law enforcement business in another country without permission.

I'm not ok with it. And I don't know why anyone with a brain would be.

I think the Mounties took a page out of the MSP play book.
For years the MSP have been survailing NH fireworks outlets, looking for Mass L plates.
Can you imagine being on that detail and taking it seriously? jesus christ.
 
Last edited:
I think the Mounties took a page out of the MSP play book.
For years the MSP have been survailing NH fireworks outlets, looking for Mass L plates.

The difference is that there's not a border checkpoint with searches going back to Mass.


But what you don't have the right to do is conduct law enforcement activities out of your jurisdiction without the blessing of the local authority.
They weren't even in the right country.

What is a law enforcement activity? Was anyone arrested, detained, questioned? Or were they merely using "plain view"?
 
But what you don't have the right to do is conduct law enforcement activities out of your jurisdiction without the blessing of the local authority.
They weren't even in the right country.
Hell, oftentimes there is not even law enforcement reciprocity from state to state within the USA.
 
The difference is that there's not a border checkpoint with searches going back to Mass.




What is a law enforcement activity? Was anyone arrested, detained, questioned? Or were they merely using "plain view"?
Same as when the NH AG found out MSP were doing survaillance in the fireworks stores parking lots. taking pictures of MA,. plates.
They were told to cut the shit or face possible arrest.
We may get numb to it in MA but the police in other places are not godlike entities with unlimited power.
There are rules.
 
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