Goodale Says Handgun Ban Study Is ‘Under Way,’ Globe Reports

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TheGunBlog.ca — The Canadian government is examining whether to ban handguns from federally licensed sport shooters and won’t make a decision at this week’s cabinet retreat, the Globe and Mail reported last night, citing two ministers.

The newspaper’s Ottawa bureau chief reported July 26, citing an unnamed senior official from an unnamed organization, that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would decide in mid-August whether to ban handguns from men and women with a firearm Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL), possibly by including the measure in Bill C-71.

Minister of Public Safety Ralph Goodale said a ban would be examined for effectiveness and fairness, according to the Globe.

“That examination is under way,” Goodale told reporters yesterday, the Globe and Mail said. “I don’t have a specific timeline other than to say I understand the urgency of the matter and that the people who are making these representations want to see a serious consideration of this idea in a timely way.”

Bill Blair, the minister of border security and organized-crime reduction, excluded the possibility of a decision at the cabinet retreat in Nanaimo, British Columbia, but said ministers will discuss firearm policy during their meetings, the newspaper reported.

The retreat started yesterday and ends tomorrow. Both Goodale and Blair were speaking in Nanaimo.

“I think this is a longer-term, more complex discussion,” Blair said yesterday, according to the Globe.

More Canadian Than Hockey

Shooting is one of Canada’s safest and most-popular sporting activities, with surveys showing about half a million more men and women have a federal firearm Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL) than the number who play hockey.

All firearms already are banned for any individual without a licence issued under the authority of the federal police.

The number of licence holders rose to a record 2.17 million in June after 21 consecutive quarterly increases, and millions more unlicensed family and friends enjoy shooting while supervised. Ownership of handguns and AR-15 rifles also climbed to a new high.

The leaders of major cities and media have asked the federal government to confiscate handguns and other firearms from hunters and sport shooters across Canada.

Action Steps

  • Contact your Member of Parliament today (Click the link, enter your postal code)
  • Keep it short, respectful and positive. 2-3 sentences or paragraphs is fine.
  • Speak from the heart:
    • Why shooting/hunting matters to you or how it has enriched your life, e.g. relationships, skills, health, learning, medals, food, heritage, family, investment, livelihood, …
    • How you would be affected by more confiscations and why you are concerned, e.g. unfair, ineffective, taking your family assets/wealth, …

Confiscations, Repositories

Toronto City Council voted by a landslide on July 24 to ask the federal government to ban the sale of handguns in Toronto and to confiscate all privately owned handguns and all semi-automatic rifles and shotguns across Canada.

In case a handgun ban failed, council requested new laws to “create gun repositories” where hunters and target shooters across the country would be forced to store all their rifles, shotguns, pistols and revolvers.

Unsupported by Police

The government has said it’s “open to all possible options.”

Toronto Mayor John Tory has asked the city’s 100,000 men and women with a PAL to go somewhere else. Montreal city council voted unanimously two days ago to ask the federal government to confiscate all handguns and all co-called “assault rifles” from all PAL holders in Canada. Others in politics and media have also targeted licensed gun owners for mass confiscation.

Last week, three of Canada’s top active and retired police leaders indicated they don’t support new confiscations.

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