The Scope and Implications of a Tracing Mechanism for Small Arms ...

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official recovering these weapons without any knowledge of such
counterfeits, would assume the markings to be genuine and initiate an
entirely flawed tracing enquiry with SIG or Smith and Wesson wasting
valuable time and resources. Correct identification requires additional
expertise to differentiate between genuine and counterfeit arms.
To overcome difficulties in weapon and marking identification, the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) created a photographic database,
known as the Firearms Reference Table (FRT), cataloguing in excess of
22,000 firearms, military small arms and light weapons. The FRT is regularly
updated to meet its primary uses: one, to assist police officers in the field to
correctly identify weapons submitted for registration on the Canadian
Firearms Register and two, to identify and trace recovered illicit weapons.
Remote access to the system is made via secure Internet channels, which
enable police officers to make on-line comparisons between the weapon
being examined and the FRT catalogue. This procedure ensures that first,
weapons are correctly identified and second, the markings needed to
create a unique record or begin a trace are accurately noted. This
innovative system is fundamental to maintaining the integrity of the
Canadian National Firearms Register.
The FRT is also a pivotal element of the Interpol International Weapons
and Explosives Tracking System (IWETS). IWETS is the mechanism by which
countries can exchange information to trace recovered firearms used in
crime. It can also hold details of every lost or stolen firearm (or military small
arm). The system is being radically upgraded to include the very latest
technology and rollout is expected within the next 12 months. Initially,
access will be limited to each National Contact Bureau (NCB) for the 179
Interpol member States. Communication will be via secure Internet