Gun serial numbers are not personal information, judge tells RCMP
OTTAWA — The Federal Court is ordering the RCMP to release the serial numbers of hundreds of its handguns in response to a request under the national information law.
In a decision made public Wednesday, Justice Nicholas McHaffie rejected the police force’s argument the numbers amounted to personal information — akin to a social insurance number — that should be exempt from disclosure under the Access to Information Act.
In 2014, the RCMP received an access request for information related to a number of Sig Sauer P226 handguns.
In response, the Mounties released a 13-page chart that listed 468 P226 firearms along with details including the RCMP unit to which each gun had been issued.