Regina officer accused of keeping banned rifle turned in for destruction

A Regina police officer is facing charges for allegedly keeping a prohibited semi-automatic rifle that was supposed to be destroyed. 

Const. Sheldon Kowalchuk was charged Tuesday with breaching trust and unauthorized possession of a firearm. 

Police allege the seven-year member of the force obtained the banned rifle, a Bushmaster XM-15, during a firearm amnesty in 2022.

An amnesty is a temporary period where people can surrender newly prohibited firearms for destruction without facing criminal penalties. 

Kowalchuk was suspended from duty with pay and is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Dec. 15.

Speaking to reporters later Tuesday, Chief Lorilee Davies said police have seized the gun, a type of AR-15. 

"We'll wait until the conclusion of court to determine what happens to it after that," she said.

"These are not easy days for our service, but the public and our employees all need to know that any type of misconduct will not be condoned."

Davies said the rifle became a prohibited weapon in 2020. That year, the federal government imposed bans on 1,500 guns it believed posed threats to public safety. Ottawa also offered compensation to gun owners who turned their weapons in.

Earlier this year, the province's firearms office made the force aware of the allegations against Kowalchuk, Davies said.

She declined to say how the officer allegedly got the rifle but said he was working alone as a patrol officer at the time.

During the amnesty period, Davies said, officers were called to retrieve banned guns from people's homes rather than have them dropped off at a police station.

Police are no longer responsible for those duties and it's now up to the firearms office, she added.

"It's been a number of years since we've participated in an amnesty," Davies said. "(This case) might have actually been one of the last ones."

The Saskatchewan Firearms Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The office's website says surrendered guns are destroyed by the federal government. 

Last year, the province passed a law that lets owners apply for exemption certificates on prohibited firearms. The certificates allow them to store the weapons until they're properly compensated by Ottawa.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 10, 2026.

By Jeremy Simes | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.