Close X
Sunday, November 10, 2024
ADVT 
National

Changes To Gun Licensing System Set To Pass Before Commons Recess, Fall Election

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 10 May, 2015 02:11 PM
  • Changes To Gun Licensing System Set To Pass Before Commons Recess, Fall Election
OTTAWA — New Conservative legislation that changes the gun licensing system cleared a House of Commons committee last week and is on track to become law before the summer recess — and a likely fall election.
 
Bill C-42, dubbed the Common Sense Firearms Licensing Act, has drawn sharp criticism even within the sport-shooting community but nonetheless remains grist for Conservative get-out-the-vote efforts, especially in rural Canada.
 
Ian Avery, president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Anglers and Hunters, said that while "the rhetoric has died down quite a bit" around the gun control issue since the long-gun registry was abolished in 2012, it remains a top concern for the firearms community.
 
"It is still a vote-mover and it is still a vote-getter for the Conservative party," said Avery.
 
The latest legislation has had a somewhat rocky ride.
 
Introduced last Oct. 7, it was set to be debated in the Commons the day after a lone gunman shot dead a ceremonial guard at the National War Memorial and then stormed Parliament Hill, where he died in a hail of bullets.
 
Needless to say, it was not an opportune time for a government bill that relaxes some gun licensing measures.
 
The legislation was quietly resurrected late last month and rushed through committee, from which it emerged with only a single, minor housekeeping amendment on Wednesday.
 
The Conservative House leader's office says it expects the bill to become law before the summer recess, currently scheduled to begin June 24. An anticipated Oct. 19 election means any unpassed bills this spring will die on the order paper.
 
MP Robert Sopuck, the chair of the Conservative hunting and angling caucus, said he's heard the mixed reviews from gun owners but calls C-42 "a very good bill." 
 
"I think this helps the hunters out a lot," Sopuck said from his farm just south of Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba.
 
The bill removes some of the paperwork and penalties for gun licensing and transportation, provides a six-month grace period for lapsed licenses, gives cabinet decision-making power over how guns are classified, makes mandatory gun prohibitions for violent offenders and domestic assaults, and makes it compulsory to pass a firearms course in order to be licensed.
 
The mixed bag of new measures has Sheldon Clare of the National Firearms Association concerned that the bill, in his words, in some sense increases gun control.
 
Gun control advocates, meanwhile, argue exactly the opposite, and are especially concerned about relaxed rules governing the transport of firearms and the ability of politicians to override the RCMP on decisions about which weapons should be restricted or prohibited.
 
"It's very small, picayune changes to the legislation, but they could have major impacts," said Wendy Cukier of the Coalition for Gun Control.
 
"The fact that it's being pushed through so quickly without consultation from experts should be really troubling to Canadians."
 
Greg Farrant, manager of government affairs and policy for the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, said there's huge interest in the firearms community over C-42, which he cautiously characterizes as the next step after killing the gun registry data.
 
"There's still a huge segment of the firearms community that thinks the government needs to go further," said Farrant, although his organization is not among them.
 
"Does it have the same cachet as the long-gun registry? Perhaps not. But there's still a very large undercurrent of firearms interest across the country in what's going on at the federal level."
 
Opposition MPs who vetted the bill say it is a naked political move by the Conservative government to put something fresh in the window for its gun-friendly constituency before going to the polls in October.
 
"They seem determined to jam it through before we rise," said NDP MP Randall Garrison. "They're clearly using it for political purposes."

MORE National ARTICLES

Vancouver Business Association Appeals Homeless Discrimination Ruling

Vancouver Business Association Appeals Homeless Discrimination Ruling
VANCOUVER — An association representing Vancouver businesses is appealing a B.C. Supreme Court ruling that found its street patrol program discriminates against homeless people.

Vancouver Business Association Appeals Homeless Discrimination Ruling

Government Supports Motion To Remove Federal Tax On Feminine Products

Government Supports Motion To Remove Federal Tax On Feminine Products
OTTAWA — The Harper government says it supports a House of Commons motion calling for the removal of the federal tax on tampons.

Government Supports Motion To Remove Federal Tax On Feminine Products

Harper Appears Unmoved Following Omar Khadr's Release On Bail, Public Statements

Harper Appears Unmoved Following Omar Khadr's Release On Bail, Public Statements
"Mr. Khadr, as we all know, pled guilty to very grave crimes, including murder," Harper told a news conference as he offered his thoughts and prayers to the family members of U.S. Sgt. Christopher Speer.

Harper Appears Unmoved Following Omar Khadr's Release On Bail, Public Statements

Prentice Should Foot Bill For Calgary Byelection He's Causing: Taxpayers Group

CALGARY — The Canadian Taxpayers Federation says outgoing Alberta premier Jim Prentice should reach into his own pocket to cover the cost of a byelection in his riding.

Prentice Should Foot Bill For Calgary Byelection He's Causing: Taxpayers Group

Tory MPs Continue To Share Tales Of Duffy's Star Power As Trial Set To Break

Tory MPs Continue To Share Tales Of Duffy's Star Power As Trial Set To Break
OTTAWA — On a summer Friday in 2009, Mike Duffy climbed into former Tory MP Dean Del Mastro's red muscle car and the two drove from Ottawa to Del Mastro's home riding of Peterborough, Ont.

Tory MPs Continue To Share Tales Of Duffy's Star Power As Trial Set To Break

Harper Takes The High Road On Alberta Election; Wants To Work With Notley

Harper Takes The High Road On Alberta Election; Wants To Work With Notley
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he is looking forward to working with incoming Alberta premier Rachel Notley.

Harper Takes The High Road On Alberta Election; Wants To Work With Notley