Montana AG says Royal Canadian Mounted Police were trying to spy on U.S. gun shows

(Daily Caller News Foundation) – Republican Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said Monday that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) sought to conduct surveillance at several gun shows in the state, a request he vehemently rejected.

He said the Canadian agency contacted the Montana Department of Justice and Division of Criminal Investigations about observing gun shows in Bozeman and Kalispell.

“My hair is absolutely on fire,” Knudsen said in an interview with Montana Talks radio.

Knudsen compared the allegedly proposed surveillance to the practices of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The CCP maintains “service centers” in the U.S., and these centers allegedly have ties to Chinese intelligence officials, according to the Daily Caller News Foundation. The FBI charged two people with maintaining a Chinese “police station” in New York City, a press release reads.

Knudsen emphasized that he would not cooperate with the alleged Canadian proposal under any circumstances. 

“I absolutely hit the roof and instructed my agencies we are absolutely not being any part of this,” Knudsen said in the interview. “We do not need Justin Trudeau conducting China-style surveillance here in America. If he wants to surveil his citizens, he can conduct surveillance in Canada. I’ve already talked to Sheriff [Dan] Springer in Bozeman, Sheriff [Brian] Heino in Flathead County — we’re all on the same sheet of music here.”

Knudsen suggested that President Joe Biden would likely authorize the Canadian government’s alleged efforts.

This is reportedly not the first time the Canadian government has conducted such operations on American soil. An undercover RCMP officer with Canadian license plates was caught observing attendees at a gun show in Great Falls, Montana, as part of a gun smuggling task force in September 2022, Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter said, according to NonStop Local News Montana.

The attorney general also expressed broader concerns about recent developments in Canada, citing the arrest of Canadian journalist Ezra Levant and restrictions on non-state media on social platforms.

A representative for the Montana DOJ told the Daily Caller that they believe the RCMP is suspending their operation.

“This afternoon we heard from RCMP and it sounds like they have backed off their most recent plans to spy on Montana gun shows,” the Montana DOJ said in a statement sent to the Caller. “However, we will continue to monitor the situation and stay in touch with local authorities should something change. Like you pointed out in your story, RCMP conducted a similar operation in Great Falls in 2022. The Montana Department of Justice will not cooperate in such operations.”

The Daily Caller reached out to the RCMP for comment but did not hear back by the time of publication.