The federal government has announced more details about new firearms legislation coast to coast.
Officials say the focus is the use, sale, and importation of firearms that are “military grade assault style weapons”.
Here are comments from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the new legislation.
“In Canada, whether it’s at the park, at the Mosque, at the school, at a sports parade, in a small town, in a big city, or in your own home, no one should ever have to be afraid. No more tragedies, no more wrong place, wrong time.”
Public Safety Minister Bill Blair told a news conference the bill will also give police broader authority to take weapons away from people in what he describes as “dangerous situations.”
“These dangerous situations can include such incidents as domestic and intimate partner violence, where a person may be suicidal or emotionally disturbed. Or where there is evidence a person is advocating hatred and violence against women, a religious minority, or a vulnerable person.”
The gun buy-back program will be voluntary, but Public Safety Minister Blair told a news conference that anyone deciding to keep restricted weapons won’t be able to legally use, transport, sell, transfer or bequeath them, rendering them useless as legal guns.
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole says the proposed law does not adequately deal with the rampant use of illegal firearms.
“And I think Mr. Trudeau misleads people when he tries to suggest that buying things back from hunters and other Canadians who are law abiding is somehow going to solve the problem of shooting and criminal gang activity in the big cities. It’s ignoring the real problem.”
There will be adjustments to the Criminal Code and the Firearms Act under Tuesday’s announcement.
The President of the Lower Trent Valley Fish and Game Club says Bill C-21, the legislation announced by the federal government will do nothing but hurt legal firearms owners.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the goal of the legislation is to get military-grade assault style weapons out of the hands of criminals, however Dave Landles does not believe it will happen that way.
“This new proposed legislation is doing zero for criminals. It is only impacting legally licensed firearms owners. It has nothing to do with crime.”
Bay of Quinte MP Neil Ellis says the focus of the government’s firearms legislation is to support municipalities, and strengthen laws to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.
” … criminal penalties for gun smuggling and trafficking. A lot of this is to do with hand guns, and with capacity, police, and border officials to keep illegal firearms out of the country. Also addresses intimate partner violence, and gender-based violence and self-harm, by creating laws that will let concerned friends come forward to let courts confiscate firearms.”
