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Conservatives consider extending gun licences to 10 years, study proposals to loosen gun control law
OTTAWA — The federal Conservatives are considering sweeping recommendations from an influential government firearms advisory committee to loosen Canada’s gun control laws, according to the Toronto Star.
According to documents released under the access to information law, the proposed changes would touch on many of the remaining restrictions on firearms and critics say would pose a risk to public safety.
The proposals include getting rid of the “prohibited” category of firearms and reclassifying weapons such as certain handguns or assault weapons like AK-47s as “restricted” only, and extending the duration of owner licenses from five to 10 years — a move the RCMP warns would strip away an important safety check.
On the 23rd anniversary of the Polytechnique massacre of 14 women, one of its survivors is aghast at the ideas proposed by the committee and fearful of its influence and power in Ottawa.
“I am very sad. And I am mad,” said Nathalie Provost, who was wounded in Marc Lepine’s fusillade against female engineering students on Dec. 6, 1989. Parliament has declared the anniversary a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada, and yet Provost fears any lessons learned have been forgotten.
“I have the feeling with all of this that we are losing more than just the long-gun registry, we are losing total control of guns in Canada,” Provost said in an interview from Montreal.
A summary of the recommendations as well as a record of a meeting where they were pitched to the government are among documents released to researchers for the Coalition for Gun Control.
Co-chaired by Steve Torino of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association, the Canadian Firearms Advisory Committee met with Public Safety Minister Vic Toews and other senior government officials in Ottawa in late March, after the bill to kill the long-gun registry had cleared the Commons and was on the verge of Senate approval.
The 12 committee members also called for the removal of the requirement on gun owners to get an “authorization to transport” firearms, and for the creation of a new technical advisory committee to advise on how imports should be classified or on weapons reclassifications — but said it should be made up mostly of advisers from industry, with two from government.
They recommend seized firearms — which by law must now be destroyed — be made legally available for public sale or trade. They suggest a “prohibited persons registry” could be set up to aid the tracking of those who should not be allowed to possess guns, but otherwise prohibited weapons should be reclassified.
Firearms licences should be valid for at least 10 years “or longer,” said the committee, and “if a licence expires, it should go into suspension until renewed, removing the criminalization of the firearm possessor.”
Toews’ office confirmed to the Star Wednesday that he is actively considering the recommendations, particularly a licence of longer duration.
“We always consider common sense solutions to ensure we have effective firearms laws that keep people safe, without needlessly burdening law abiding Canadians. We are looking at ways to ensure the licensing system is efficient and effective,” said Toews’ communications director Julie Carmichael.
The RCMP refused a request for comment or technical information Wednesday, deferring to the department of public safety.
But the documents show the Mounties had real concerns in the spring.
Assistant Commissioner Pierre Perron, responsible for the Canadian Firearms Centre, was at the March meeting and warned extending the duration of licenses to 10 years “would limit” the RCMP’s “ability to monitor, on a timely basis, any changes to an individual’s mental health status,” according to a written record of the discussion that Toews’ office prepared.
That’s because when a licence is renewed, an individual must answer questions about mental health or changes in personal circumstances that could affect their fitness to own a weapon — and the form must be verified by another person.
The federal Conservative government — which has so far failed to respond to a request by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police to put their representative on the advisory committee — has already acted on two of the committee’s other recommendations:
Earlier this fall, Toews eliminated certain gun show regulations the committee called useless, and just last week, cabinet quietly deferred to December 2013 a decision to require gun manufacturers to put new markings on weapons imported to Canada — a move that was intended to allow better tracking and to bring Canada into compliance with a UN effort to control international gun smuggling.
The advisory committee argued “prohibited” firearms is a “repressive and costly classification” to administer, and claimed there would still be adequate safety controls.
“Restricted class has the same safety and security qualifications and requirements as the Prohibited class without the attendant seizure eventuality,” said the committee’s proposal.
The proposed changes are “just chilling,” said Michael Bryant, former Ontario attorney-general who spoke on behalf of the Coalition for Gun Control. “And I think Canadians should be frightened by this.”
Well when did us Canadians switch with Americans since we have a Govronment that is getting Rid of all the stupid gun laws that cost taxpayers billions and allowing people to have their firearm license for longer and also allowing some firearms that were banned to be sold to people that meet the proper background check and are law abiding citizens and heck we even stopped the U.N. from getting involved in our laws on firearm ownership.
I mean holy crapwe tell the U.N. to get lost and we are expanding freedoms and the Govronment is getting out of our lifes and letting law abiding people actually be able to be treated like they are free to choose if they want to legally obtain a firearm or not.
I mean first we are building up our Oil and LNG production and now we are getting rid of stupid laws that have failed since according
It appears the Guelph Mercury (originally from Toronto Star) may have jumped the gun (sorry) on this story: CBC is reporting that the Prime Minister is "distancing his government from recommendations made by an influential federal firearms advisory committee to further loosen restrictions on guns, including some prohibited weapons."
Quote:
Harper said emphatically in the House of Commons during question period Thursday that the government has no plans to eliminate the prohibited weapons list. "I am aware of the [Star] story and let me be as clear as I can be: prohibited weapons exist as a category under the law for essential reasons of public security. The government has absolutely no intention of weakening that category of protections," Harper said in answer to a question from Opposition Leader Tom Mulcair.
As far as the big picture here, I'd say it's just business as usual: Conservatives have to weigh the still very vocal opposition to the long-gun registry, especially in the old Reform Party stomping grounds of the Prairie Provs, but as with many other decisions made by the Government, it appears that traditional Tory instincts for peace, order and good government trump Reform libertarianism.
You have to have a gun license in Canada? Those Canucks think of everything. Guess this is what happens when you peacefully leave British control rather than forcefully fight your way out.
“I have the feeling with all of this that we are losing more than just the long-gun registry, we are losing total control of guns in Canada,” Provost said in an interview from Montreal.
Good. Sounds like the Canadian government is being dragged kicking and screaming into a world of common sense. Has somebody in that government finally realized that the law-abiding people they are imposing their laws on, aren't the ones committing crimes with their guns? And that maybe disarming the law-abiders, is a BAD idea?
Though I feel for the trauma this person went through, it's kind of sad to see the hysteria she still carries with her, 24 years after the attack. She's moaning that she is "losing total control of guns in Canada". Umm, Ms. Provost, they aren't your guns. And they aren't the government's guns. Where do you get the idea YOU can "control" them any better than the law-abiding people who own them? And where do you get the notion that the kind of guy who attacked you 24 years ago, would obey any of these laws?
FInally, if it had been allowed for everyone who wants to in Canada to carry a gun (most still would not bother), do you think the guy who attakced you, would have done so aw willingly if he was aware that a few people on the scene were probably carrying their own guns and able to shoot back, and that he would never know who or where they were until he was shot himself, stopping his litttle adventure?
Last edited by Little-Acorn; 08-12-2013 at 09:47 AM..
Good. Sounds like the Canadian government is being dragged kicking and screaming into a world of common sense. Has somebody in that government finally realized that the law-abiding people they are imposing their laws on, aren't the ones committing crimes with their guns? And that maybe disarming the law-abiders, is a BAD idea?
Though I feel for the trauma this person went through, it's kind of sad to see the hysteria she still carries with her, 24 years after the attack. She's moaning that she is "losing total control of guns in Canada". Umm, Ms. Provost, they aren't your guns. And they aren't the government's guns. Where do you get the idea YOU can "control" them any better than the law-abiding people who own them? And where do you get the notion that the kind of guy who attacked you 24 years ago, would obey any of these laws?
FInally, if it had been allowed for everyone who wants to in Canada to carry a gun (most still would not bother), do you think the guy who attakced you, would have done so aw willingly if he was aware that a few people on the scene were probably carrying their own guns and able to shoot back, and that he would never know who or where they were until he was shot himself, stopping his litttle adventure?
Firstly: "dragged kicking and screaming into a world of common sense." One man's common sense is another country's folly. Common sense is in the eye of the beholder and yours may not be the best judge of "common sense".
Secondly: the law-abiders are not disarmed in Canada by the government. Those that want, can own a firearm. Overwhelming majority choose not to own a firearm.
I won't comment on your inane address of Ms Provost postion regarding firearms.
Finally: "if it had been allowed for everyone who wants to in Canada to carry a gun (most still would not bother), do you think the guy who attakced you, would have done so aw willingly if he was aware that a few people on the scene were probably carrying their own guns and able to shoot back, and that he would never know who or where they were until he was shot himself, stopping his litttle adventure?[/quote]"
It being allowed for a whole whack of folks to own firarms below the 49th, and many do; how then do you explain this does not seem to have deterred to any great degree, the almost daily killing of cops, the shooting up of theaters, schools, libraries, daycares, and most tellingly, MILITARY BASES.
Get a grip Acorn; the facts are the opposite. The ones bent on committing any crime with a firarm are not imbued with any grasp of consequences of their actions to the degree they think they might get shot for their troubles. They will do so regardless. Making firearms more plentiful simply exacerbates their abilities to do so with a firearm.
Our gun laws are fine. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
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