Bill C-71 Is Now Law After Receiving Royal Assent, Will Ban Guns

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TheGunBlog.ca — Bill C-71 began coming into force today as the governing Liberal Party of Canada’s new law against hunters, farmers, sport shooters and gun shops, with mass gun bans.

The bill faced some of the broadest and most active opposition of any legislative proposal since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took office in October 2015.

He’s now promising the biggest single gun seizure in Canadian history.

“Bill C-71 has received Royal Assent,” the Senate said at 2:41 p.m. Ottawa time on Twitter following the official ceremony where the queen’s representative approves draft legislation into law.

(Buy The Bill C-71 Book below.)

Jim Shockey: ‘Scary Stuff’

Every measure of the law invents new crimes against safe and responsible firearm users, from world-class hunters like Jim Shockey and Team Canada pistol champions like Allan Harding, to weekend plinkers and recreational sport shooters.

“Scary stuff if you are a law-abiding citizen and firearms owner in Canada….not scary for criminals,” Shockey said on Instagram in November from Parliament Hill.

Read: Jim Shockey on Handgun Ban: ‘We Just Can’t Let This Happen’

Bans for Votes

The Liberals promised to order the surrender of about 200,000 rifles and shotguns, including so-called “Non-restricted” models, if they win the October election.

Read: Trudeau Gun Ban Targets 200,000 Long Guns: Global News

It’s unclear if that will include the guns being prohibited under Bill C-71.

Opinion polls suggest prohibition and confiscation are a vote winner for the Liberals. Trudeau is betting his career they will be an election winner.

Massive Opposition

The Conservative Party has promised to repeal Bill C-71 if elected. Polls indicate victory.

Every major national and provincial shooting and hunting organization opposes the new law, as do hundreds of thousands of concerned men and women from every political party, including voters without firearms.

Provincial premiers and senior police leaders also reject seizing firearms from honest owners.

Many past Liberal voters have vowed to never support the party again over Bill C-71. Liberal members of parliament in rural areas expect to be wiped out.

Time Lag

The new law had the longest time lag to Royal Assent of any legislation since at least September 2018, according to calculations by TheGunBlog.ca.

It took 18 work days to become law from when the Senate passed the bill on May 28. It was first proposed in March 2018.

Read: Bill C-71 Passes Final Vote in Senate as New Law to Ban Guns

Prohibit and Confiscate

Bill C-71 creates new crimes against Canada’s 2.2 million federally licensed gun owners and 1,500 gun shops when they buy, sell or travel with firearms, or simply keep guns they already have.

(See our Bill C-71 page for highlights.)

All firearms are banned already for anyone without a licence authorized by the federal police.

Some parts of Bill C-71 take effect now, others kick in later through a series of cabinet decisions called “orders in council.”

Read: Ministry Comments on Bill C-71 Royal Assent, Orders in Council

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Bill C-71 In Five Examples

  • Criminalize Owners. Bill C-71 prohibits “Non-restricted” CZ 858 and SAN Swiss Arms rifles held by more than 10,000 families and leads to their confiscation after the registered owners die. If the owners don’t register with the the federal police in time, they could go to jail.
  • Criminalize More Owners. Bill C-71 makes it easier for cabinet to order new bans against licensed owners by declaring immediate prohibition with confiscation after the owner dies. It makes it easier for the federal police to ban guns.
  • Criminalize Travelers. Bill C-71 makes it a crime for a police-approved shooter to take their police-approved handgun to a police-approved repair shop without explicit police permission for the trip. If a plinker or competitor goes to the gunsmith on the way home from a match without a police Authorization To Transport, they could go to jail.
  • Criminalize Buyers and Sellers. Bill C-71 makes it a crime for a police-licensed adult to sell or give another police-licensed adult — even a spouse — any firearm without explicit police permission, including transferring so-called “Non-restricted” rifles and shotguns. If federally licensed Hunter Harry gives his federally licensed Daughter Debbie his old Remington 700 rifle without authorization from the RCMP Registrar of Firearms, they could both go to jail.
  • Criminalize Stores. Bill C-71 makes it a crime for stores to sell any “Non-restricted” rifle or shotgun without explicit permission for the sale from the RCMP Registrar of Firearms. It’s also a crime if they sell the firearm without recording details of the buyer and their newly purchased gear and keeping the private data in a registry for police for 20 years.

After the Election

Roughly 6,000 men and women buy or sell a firearm every day.

Many are unfamiliar with Bill C-71 and could vote Liberal. Many stores and clubs have failed to tell their customers or members about the bill.

The measure requiring permission from the RCMP Registrar of Firearms to transfer “Non-restricted” rifles and shotguns will probably take effect after the October election.

The government hasn’t said how it will inform the firearm community about the new law. It also hasn’t said how it will enforce the law, or how much it will cost.

Buy The Bill C-71 Book

  • Amazon Bestseller
  • Best overview of Bill C-71 in plain language.
  • Quoted and mentioned in the House of Commons and Senate.
  • Free for members.

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