Ottawa Police Interim Chief Steve Bell says no loaded shotguns were found at the Freedom Convoy protests, seemingly contradicting reporting by a Toronto Star journalist..At a Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security on Wednesday, Dane Lloyd, the Conservative MP for Sturgeon River-Parkland, Ab. asked Bell if any loaded shotguns were found at the protest..Bell responded that “at no point did” did Ottawa police lay any firearms-related charges. When pressed further by Lloyd, Bell said no loaded firearms were found “relating to any charges to this point.”.Bell did say that Ottawa police received information around the possession of weapons by people “that either had attended or intended on attending the occupation.” Bell added that had loaded guns been found at the protest, charges would have been laid and the public notified..Lloyd referred to a March 19 story in the Toronto Star, which claimed that according to a police source, loaded shotguns had been found in trucks at the protest. In Canada, loaded firearms are not permitted to be stored in vehicles..At a border protest in Coutts, Alberta,.four men were arrested and charged.by the RCMP on February 14 after a significant weapons cache was seized. The RCMP alleged the men had plans to kill Mounties and members of the public..During the committee meeting, Lloyd also pointed out Liberal MP for Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs and Minister of Crown-Indigenous relations, Marc Miller, retweeted Ling’s story and specifically mentioned loaded shotguns being found..“This is misinformation being spread by journalists and misinformation being spread by a member of this government,” Lloyd said..Journalist Justin Ling, the author of the Toronto Star piece, noted on Twitter that having firearms “safely stowed can be perfectly legal.”.Lloyd responded to the tweet by saying Lang was “wrong on more counts” for having claimed “loaded” shotguns were found at the protest. Lloyd noted it’s illegal to transport or store a loaded firearm and illegal to bring a firearm, loaded or unloaded, to a public gathering. .“A source in law enforcement made that claim,” Ling responded. “And I suppose we will see the outcome of those investigations.”.Matthew Horwood is the Parliamentary Bureau Chief of the Western Standard
