Concerns emerge over 'misleading' Canadian handgun import ban
Ottawa's plan to stop handgun imports into Canada has some gun owners and experts in Alberta calling it an overreach that could have unintended consequences.
Effective Aug. 19, the Canadian government will ban the importation of restricted handguns into the country. The ban is being pushed ahead without Parliament's approval and will instead use regulatory restrictions to make the policy change.
The measure is expected to prevent "nearly all" individuals and businesses from importing handguns into Canada, the government said Friday.
"This ban is a stopgap while the handgun freeze in its entirety moves through the parliamentary process, preventing shelves from being restocked in the immediate term," said Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly.
When CTV News Edmonton asked what Dianne Harnois, owner of gun store P & D Enterprises, thought about the measure, she said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had "gone way too far."
"No matter what way he has to get it through, he is pushing it," Harnois said. "And in my personal opinion, I would tell him it is time to step down."
Doug King, Mount Royal University criminologist, says while the handgun ban may increase firearm interdictions at the border, the overall impact may not reduce gun violence on the street.
"Most firearms used in the commission of criminal events are firearms that are not owned through the proper process in Canada; they've likely been smuggled in," King told CTV News Edmonton. "You want to tackle gun violence in Canada, tackle that issue. That's where you'll get the biggest return for your investment."
King believes the government should have increased the funding to law enforcement agencies like the RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency to help recruit more officers, conduct more commercial vehicle searches, and increase the investigative and intelligence-sharing capacities of officers.
"The challenge of all this is that criminal elements are one step ahead of law enforcement, and it seems to me that public policy is always one step behind law enforcement, which is one step behind the criminal element," King added.
Another aspect that the regulator change does not consider is the ability for 3D printing of firearms, King says.
"We have to start getting our minds wrapped around the notion that I could download right now off the Internet a program to (3D) print off a firearm," he said. "They are making firearms. You and I could get ahold of that program, I think, within 30 minutes (of online searching)."
In late May, the Liberals presented Bill C-21, legislation which, if passed, would further restrict legal access to handguns. It includes a section stopping short of an outright ownership ban, instead opting for a national "freeze" on the sale or transfer of handguns in Canada that allows current owners to maintain ownership of theirs.
The proposed bill also seeks to flag to create systems that flag individuals that may pose a risk to themselves or others, and hike the maximum penalties for offences involving firearms, including smuggling and trafficking.
- What is Bill C-21? A look at the proposed firearm legislation and its implications
- National handgun freeze key feature of new firearm-control bill
UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES
On Friday, Joly said the government decided to announce an import ban because since Bill C-21 was introduced, there was an "uptick" in gun purchases — handguns in particular.
"We want to prevent that. That is why we're announcing this import ban… We know that the vast majority of handguns in the country are imported, as there's no handgun producer in the country," Joly said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly and minister of Public Safety, Marco Mendicino, speak with Toronto Police super intendent Steve Watts of the Organized Crime Enforcement unit, following a press conference announcing new gun control laws, in Toronto, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
On Saturday, shelves normally containing handguns at the Edmonton store were nearly empty.
"I've been waiting for the approval to come in, which just came in the last few days," said Pat Cowman, a gun owner.
He requested his license approval last spring and was able to receive his handgun today before the store sells out.
"People are now rushing to buy a handgun," Harnois added. "Those who have a licence and can legally own one. But the long-term effects are much more severe."
Empty shelves that normally contain handguns can be seen at P & D Enterprises in Edmonton on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022 (CTV News Edmonton/Brandon Lynch)
The legislation remains in the early stages of moving through Parliament, with MPs set to initiate a committee study of the bill once the fall sitting of the House of Commons begins in late September.
For King, that "uptick" in gun purchases should've been anticipated — especially with how much further the bill has to go to receive Royal Assent and become law.
"I think they ended up on Friday saying, 'Whoa, this thing could be delayed a whole heck of a lot longer than simply October," King said.
- Handgun sales hot in Edmonton as Kenney promises fight against federal legislation
- Trudeau 'assault-style' weapon ban 'ineffective,' says Alberta chief firearm officer
"The idea though, that banning the legitimate legal sale and transfer of handguns between law-abiding citizens of Canada and to suggest that's going to have a significant impact on gun-related violence in Canada is misleading, to say the least," he added.
King said studies have shown that those who go through the process of receiving a firearm licence in Canada, including background checks, are less likely to commit a criminal offence than someone who has not.
"There's a bit of an assumption that goes: everyone who owns a firearm is somehow closer to committing a Criminal Code offence than people who aren't," he added. "That's not true. It ultimately rests with the importation, smuggling in of illegal firearms into Canada."
With files from CTV News.ca's Rachel Aiello and CTV News Edmonton's Steven Dyer
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.