Charges were announced Friday for an Alaska man arrested by officers of the Canada Border Services Agency in late summer for attempting to bring weapons banned by Canadian law into the country.
Corey Scott Kettering, 33, was charged for a July 27 incident when he attempted to cross the Abbotsford-Huntington border, southeast of Vancouver, said Luke Reimer, a communications adviser with the CBSA, in an email.
“The number and type of firearms seized in this incident are considered significant,” Reimer said. “Firearms and weapons are high-risk commodities and their interdiction is a CBSA enforcement priority.”
Kettering had 14 firearms in his possession, CBSA said, including four semi-automatic assault-style rifles, three handguns, a machine pistol and six other legal rifles and shotguns, Reimer said. Kettering also had a tactical vest, several cans of ammunition and loaded magazines for many of the weapons.
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“Non-restricted firearms are the least-regulated and include most hunting rifles and shotguns,” Reimer said. “Restricted firearms include most handguns along with certain semi-automatic rifles/shotguns and rifles/shotguns that have a barrel length of less than 470 mm. Prohibited firearms include automatic firearms and short-barrelled handguns.”
Kettering is required to appear in court in Abbotsford, B.C., on Sept. 21. He was released on his own recognizance after the incident, Reimer said. Kettering is charged with smuggling, making false or deceptive statements, seven counts of possession of restricted firearm with ammunition and six charges of unauthorized possession of a firearm, according to a CBSA news release.
“Each firearms seizure is different and is assessed by the CBSA Criminal Investigations Section on the basis of its individual circumstances,” Reimer said. “The decision to charge someone is often based on numerous factors such as knowledge and intent of the illegal act, the amount of deception involved, the level of concealment of the firearm, whether the firearm is unloaded and properly stored, and the number of undeclared firearms.”
While the precise circumstances around the arrest haven’t been released, Reimer said, no one else has been charged in connection with the incident. The CBSA seized 753 prohibited firearms in the previous fiscal year, Reimer said.
• Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at (757) 621-1197 or mlockett@juneauempire.com.
