Imagine this scenario.  You retired from the RCMP after 29 years of service with the rank of Staff Sergeant.  You returned as a civilian firearms trainer at the RCMP Regina Depot facility. You have full access to the RCMP’s ammunition and firearms lockups. You steal ammunition and take it home.  You get caught. You get charged with the crime.

But do yo do the time?

Not if you’re Gary Faulconbridge.

Must be nice to be “punished” with a $1,000 fine and no jail time.

At least the judge had the good sense not to grant the defense motion for an absolute discharge. An “absolute discharge” means Faulconbridge would NOT have a criminal record. Faulconbridge doesn’t want to have a criminal record.  He’s okay with the fine though.

Judge Marylynne Beaton noted that the loss of his job had “a significant impact on him.”   I suspect what had a significant impact was getting caught stealing ammunition even after he’d been warned. In writing. He even signed a document acknowledging this. And continued to steal ammunition on what appears to be a regular basis.

People wonder why the RCMP has a bad name.  It’s cops (ex-cop in this case) like this that give the force a bad name.  It’s sentences like this that show the incredible double-standard for us civilians and those protected by the “blue line”.  Had one of us regular folk stolen this ammunition… I’m certain the sentence would NOT have been $1,000 and a “bad boy”.  We’d be forced to take up residence somewhere we really don’t want to reside.

Not to mention a firearms prohibition.  Seems Mr. Faulconbridge avoided that too, as far as I can tell.  You and me wouldn’t have fared so well, I am sure.

You know, I’m a competition shooter too. While I don’t hold any national records for my shooting ability, I’m still an okay shot.  I’ve still got a few trophies on the wall that I’m proud of.  And I’d love to have 6,000 rounds of free ammunition every year too.  Ammunition is expensive, especially at the rate competition shooters can go through it.  But stealing it?  From the RCMP?  No thanks.

That’s just plain stupid.