Police seize massive arsenal of weapons in Windsor Park home

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/10/2019 (2178 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A case of a Winnipeg gun collector gone wild or someone amassing an arsenal of weapons, ammo and body armour for another reason?

Winnipeg police couldn’t explain Wednesday why a man arrested at a home in Windsor Park allegedly had compiled a giant stash of weapons, including prohibited, fully automatic firearms, machine guns, and more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition.

The items were cataloged Oct. 16, when the Winnipeg Police Service tactical support team, firearm investigation and enforcement unit, and guns and gang unit executed search warrants at a house on the 100 block of Almond Bay.

The search led to the seizure of 73 firearms, including several submachine guns and an AK-47 assault rifle.

Andrew Michael Krywonizka, 41, of Winnipeg, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of various weapons-related offences, including the unauthorized importing of a firearm, prohibited or restricted weapon, prohibited device or ammunition, unauthorized possession of a prohibited device or ammunition, tampering with serial number of a firearm, and possessing body armour without a valid permit.

The events followed a tip from the Canada Border Services Agency. In July, it intercepted a prohibited firearm silencer that had been sent to an address in Winnipeg from China. The CBSA criminal investigations unit notified Winnipeg police.

On Wednesday, city police said the bust is an example of agencies working to battle gun violence.

“It’s no secret that firearm incidents and crime around firearms has increased over 60 per cent over the last five years. I want to be very clear that the Winnipeg Police Service is taking a very proactive approach to it,” Insp. Max Waddell said at a news conference.

“I’m very pleased with the results of this and, again, I cannot stress enough that these firearms did not end up (on the streets of) the city of Winnipeg.”

The accused hasn’t been charged with selling firearms, and police said Wednesday they don’t expect to charge any further suspects.

Krywonizka is known for selling things that go boom: he’s president of Gryphon Energetics, a Winnipeg-based company that boasts it sells “the most powerful exploding target in the world.”

In 2017, the Rural Municipality of Hanover was hearing complaints about people misusing Tannerite (a binary explosive used for target practice) and RCMP were concerned shooters firing off large amounts of it were startling and upsetting nearby homeowners. The municipal council was mulling restricting Tannerite in Hanover when Krywonizka volunteered to demonstrate its proper use for local authorities.

“Our goal here is to educate and inform, so that bans like that either in the municipality or nationwide don’t occur because everyone likes to use the product,” Krywonizka said in a story published by SteinbachOnline.com.

He advised people to properly educate themselves before using explosives and to only use them for marksmanship training. Krywonizka warned users to follow instructions precisely and, before shooting, to always make sure the area is safe and not to target large objects due to the danger of getting hit by shrapnel.

Hanover Reeve Stan Toews reportedly appreciated the demonstration.

“If they use it properly, it has its place, but it shouldn’t be misused, because it can be dangerous,” he was quoted in the article as saying.

Toews did not respond to a Free Press request for comment Wednesday about Krywonizka and the weapons seizure in Winnipeg.

— with files from Ryan Thorpe

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca