Dear members, your Federal government has again acted to curtail your firearms traditions by tabling the new Bill-21 yesterday. In the wake of the recent mass shooting in the United States, the Prime Minister and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino announced Bill C-21 An Act to amend certain Acts and to make certain consequential amendments (firearms) which will be debated in the house this session and unless it is passed – and any regulations to enforce the proposed law – it will have no effect. So there is time to act. However, along with Bill C-21 there will be orders in council that may have immediate impact on your property and your ability to use your firearms.
Update:
This Calibre article has a more in-depth interpretation of every facet of the Bill.
What does Bill C-21 do?
If passed, Bill C-21 will:
Handgun freeze
- Stop the sale, transfer and important of handguns (except for individuals who have a valid Authorization to Carry OR those participating in recognized Olympic shooting discipline). For those who are not exempted, they can continue to be used. However, they cannot otherwise transfer their handguns except to businesses or exempted individuals.
- No importation of handguns. This means an effective cap on the numbers of handguns in legal hands in Canada. While it is not an outright ban, it will eventually mean the end of handgun ownership as present owners leave the sport or pass on.
Confiscation during investigation or revocation
- Allow the application for anyone to apply to a judge to remove a person’s firearms who may pose a danger to others or to themselves
- Require the immediate surrender and disposal of firearms while a license revocation is being appealed.
Prevent future governments for downgrading classifications (except by passage of law)
- whereas presently governments can and have reclassified firearms from non-restricted to restricted or prohibited through Order in Council, if Bill-21 is passed, there won’t be a way for a friendlier government to reclassify firearms back to non-restricted or restricted from a higher classification. It would have to be through another law.
Magazine alteration
- The Bill now contains language making it against the law to alter a magazine above its legal capacity, however, it was always against the law to possess a magazine that was not legal capacity.
Adjusting the definition of prohibited pellet guns
- closes the gap in definition of prohibited air guns so that those that ‘look military’ that shoot between 366 and 500 fps now meet that definition
- present owners can own and use these; but future sale and transfer will be stopped unless they are deemed not ‘military looking’.
The text of the act can be read here.
Actions that can be taken
This bill will be considered by the new board after it is elected in Sunday’s Annual General Meeting. As it stands, we are greatly concerned that this will mean the death of certain disciplines that our members enjoy and is yet another step taken by the present government to diminish future firearms ownership and stop increasing the numbers of Canadians who enjoy our sports safely. The present Board believes these acts impact Canadians who already are vetted, who already abide by the laws while distracting away from the lack of enforcement of laws already in force that should be applied to the gangsters who care little for our justice system.
We urge members first to understand the bill and to not take rash action as the Bill requires passage through the House of Commons and the Senate to become law.
Until then, as always, you should exercise your democratic right to contact your MPs, Senators and the government itself to vigorously oppose any portions of the bill you feel infringe upon your rights of ownership and your traditions.