BY BOB ZIMMER
Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies MP
I know many firearms owners and businesses have had many questions about the implementation of the Liberal Firearms Bill since it received Royal Assent on June 21. It was passed despite all your phone calls, emails and letters but I would like to personally thank you for your efforts, they are greatly appreciated.
While some sections of the bill have now come into effect – most notably, the re-introduction of the front-door registry allowing the Quebec government to access a copy of the remaining portion of the long-gun registry – most of the changes have not been implemented. This includes:
- the requirement that anyone who wants to transfer a non-restricted firearm verify the firearms licence of the person receiving the firearm and receive a reference number from the Registrar of Firearms – red tape.
- with the requirement that businesses keep records of non-restricted firearms transfers, including the purchaser’s firearms licence number and information about the firearm purchased, for at least 20 years the Liberal government is essentially introducing a back-door registry. We don’t know when this new system will be established or how long each approval will take. This is more needless red tape.
- the requirement that firearms owners apply for a separate authorization to transport (ATT) restricted or prohibited firearms to any location that is not the purchaser’s home following the sale or an approved shooting range. The approval to transport legally owned restricted or prohibited firearms to a peace officer for disposal, a licensed repair shop, a gun show, and to a port of exit in order to take them out of the country has also been revoked. This adds a massive amount of, again, simply needless red tape and potentially huge delays;
All these changes will require what is called an Order in Council, which are made on the recommendation of Cabinet and signed by the Governor General, before they are implemented and there is currently no deadline for when this will happen.
I know this has caused confusion for many within the outdoor community and I know our local business owners are concerned about the amount of time and additional resources they will need to follow these new rules when they are implemented.
According to the Public Safety website, these changes “will come into force at a later date once necessary administrative changes have been put in place.” No additional information has been provided.
I have requested a briefing with Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale’s office to try to get answers to your questions and clarity on how the Liberals’ plan on implementing all of the changes in Bill C-71, to date no briefing has been confirmed.
For four years, the Liberals have failed to address gun crime. Instead, their policies have senselessly targeted our law-abiding firearms owners. Not only does this legislation fail to address gang violence or target gang criminals, but the word ‘gang’ doesn’t even appear in the bill.
Conservatives will always stand up for the rights of law-abiding firearms owners and will also take practical steps to keep Canadians safe. A Conservative Government led by Andrew Scheer will get tough on gangs, give law enforcement the tools they need to keep Canadians safe and crack down on illegal gun smuggling. And we will repeal C-71 once and for all!
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/pol-leg/bill-c71-projet-de-loi/index-eng.htm
https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/cntrng-crm/frrms/mn-chngs-frrms-tbl-en.aspx
http://www.gazette.gc.ca/accueil-home-eng.html
https://nfa.ca/2019/06/10/c-71-guide/
https://thegunblog.ca/2019/06/03/ministry-comments-on-bill-c-71-royal-assent-orders-in-council/