Canada Considers Allowing Provinces, Cities to Ban Guns: Globe

TheGunBlog.ca — Canada’s federal government is considering giving provinces or municipalities the power to ban handguns and is preparing a countrywide consultation on new prohibitions, the Globe and Mail reported today, citing a member of parliament and staff.

The government is also exploring an overhaul of the firearm-classification system, the paper said.

Bill Blair, the minister for border security and organized-crime reduction, will lead the public consultation on banning handguns, the Globe reported, quoting Marie-Emmanuelle Cadieux, a spokeswoman for the minister. The format is still being decided, the paper said.

A handgun prohibition would be better as a stand-alone law than being added to Bill C-71, Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, a member of parliament with the government, was quoted as telling the Globe.

Erskine-Smith is hosting a public meeting with Blair on Sept. 23 in Toronto.

TheGunBlog.ca reported yesterday, quoting a flyer from the MP, that the government was considering giving municipalities more power over firearms.

Millions of Canadians of all ages use firearms for protection, hunting, recreation and competition. Many gun owners wrongly believe that if they keep a low profile, the government will leave them alone.

Prohibitions would leave people defenseless, end athletic careers and destroy hundreds of millions of dollars in family wealth as guns and gear became worthless.

They would also help the Liberal Party win votes, a major public-relations firm said in March. The Liberals won a majority of seats in parliament in the 2015 election after promising new restrictions on hunters and sport shooters. Bill C-71 includes many of the promises.

The government’s firearm policy is now dividing Liberal MPs.

Federal and provincial political leaders, police leaders and private individuals have said they oppose banning firearms for people with a firearm licence authorized by the federal police. All other private guns are banned already.

The offices of the prime minister, minister of public safety and minister of organized-crime reduction didn’t respond immediately to a request for comment from TheGunBlog.ca.

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