A major gun control group has accused the Liberal government of watering down its promise to ensure firearms are properly tested before entering the Canadian market.
The government recently announced proposed regulations that would require the federal firearms registrar to know the make and model of all guns sold in Canada.
Currently, companies that import or manufacture firearms are not required to share their technical specifications with authorities, meaning firearms may be placed on the market without being fully evaluated.
The proposed regulations would require companies to provide certain data to the Registrar before importing or manufacturing batches of firearms.
Information includes details such as make, model, capacity, gauge or caliber, barrel length, stock type, and whether the firearm can accept a removable magazine.
The federal government has added hundreds of assault-style firearms to its list of banned weapons, effective immediately. The announcement came a day before the 35th anniversary of Montreal’s École Polytechnique massacre.
Companies must provide details upon request and maintain records showing that they have provided the information to the Registrar. The Registrar’s activities are supported by the RCMP’s Firearms Program.
However, businesses do not have to wait for a response from a registrar, and there is no disruption to their supply chain or business operations.
PolySeSouvient, a group that has long supported stricter gun laws, is demanding that federal authorities not only collect this data from companies, but also conduct a technical evaluation of firearms before they enter the Canadian market.
PolySeSouvient says this is the best way to ensure that restricted or prohibited firearms are not improperly classified as non-restricted firearms suitable for hunting. The group cited a 2023 episode in which the RCMP directed owners to turn in fully automatic military surplus firearms after hundreds of them were misidentified and brought into Canada for commercial sale. Pointed out.
A federal government analysis released late last month with the proposed new measures said the regulations would “partially address” the group’s concerns, but would “require physical inspection of all firearms before entering the Canadian market.” He said he would not “address their demands.”
The government is seeking public comments on the proposed regulations until February 11th.
Police Subiento said in a statement that the planned measures fall short of promises made by former public security minister Dominique Leblanc.
LeBlanc told a Senate committee in October 2023 that regulatory changes would be made that would “require mandatory physical inspection by the RCMP of all new firearms before they enter the Canadian market.”
“These regulatory measures ensure that firearms do not enter the Canadian market without proper listing or classification by competent government authorities.”
Ottawa Liberal MP David McGuinty recently took over the public safety portfolio from LeBlanc. Montreal Liberal MP Rachel Bendayan has been appointed deputy minister of public safety.
PolySeSouvient called the planned federal approach “very disappointing” and said the new regulations would only mean the RCMP would have the technical information.
“There is no new requirement in the RCMP to verify and certify that unrestricted models are correctly classified before they are placed on the market, which means misclassification could continue,” the group said. “It means that there is a sex.”
“As before, the RCMP will need to catch up once it begins examining technical data.”
