RCMP Will Publish 2017 Commissioner of Firearms Report This Fall

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TheGunBlog.ca — The RCMP said it will publish the 2017 Commissioner of Firearms report on gun-owner licensing, firearm registrations, prohibitions and other data this fall. The annual report was released in the spring in the past two years.

Demand for information and statistics on Canadian firearm users and their guns is higher than usual this year as the government cracks down on hunters and sport shooters and prepares to seize more of their guns.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police submits its annual report on gun owners to the Minister of Public Safety for presentation to the House of Commons, after which the document becomes public. A spokeswoman for the ministry directed questions to the RCMP.

‘As Soon as Practicable’

“Please note that the Firearms Act does not stipulate an exact date for the report to be presented to the minister, but only states as soon as practicable in a calendar year, and this year, that happens to be in the Fall,” Marie Damian, a spokeswoman for the Ottawa-based RCMP, said today by e-mail in response to questions from TheGunBlog.ca.

“While the last two reports were published in May, previous reports have been published in the Fall, for instance the 2012, 2013 and 2014 reports,” Damian said.

Bans for Votes

A public-relations firm that advises the government has recommended the Liberal Party impose more constraints on lawful gun owners to win votes.

The government proposed Bill C-71 in March as a new law to immediately prohibit as many as 15,000 rifles from federally licensed owners, make it easier to prohibit more guns, and to make it harder for shooters to buy, sell, own and transport firearms.

It’s promoting the planned law and broader bans as safety measures, ignoring data showing Canada’s 2.2 million men and women with gun licences are statistically safer than people without a permit.

New firearm-import restrictions that could cripple the gun industry are scheduled to take effect Dec. 1. The government also aims to phase out lead in ammunition. Almost all cartridges contain lead, fueling concern of ammo bans.

More Canadian Than Hockey

More Canadian men and women have a gun licence authorized by the RCMP than play hockey. The Commissioner of Firearms report is one of the main sources of data on them.

The Canadian Firearms Program of the RCMP manages licensing for individuals and registration of their guns. The Commissioner of the RCMP is the Commissioner of Firearms.

Record Gun Ownership

The number of adults with a gun permit rose to a record at the end of June after 21 consecutive quarterly increases, according to RCMP data supplied to TheGunBlog.ca in August. Millions of unlicensed family and friends of all ages also enjoy hunting, plinking, recreational shooting and competition under the supervision of permit holders.

The number of so-called “Restricted” handguns and rifles owned by individuals also rose to a new high after more than five years of uninterrupted monthly increases, the data showed.

In addition to private individuals and their personal firearms for hunting and sport shooting, more than 90,000 men and women, mainly police, are required to carry loaded firearms for personal or public safety.

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