Alberta to Study Naming Its Own Chief Firearms Officer: Kenney

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TheGunBlog.ca — Alberta will consider appointing its own Chief Firearms Officer instead of having a federal employee in the role, as Premier Jason Kenney aims to “advance the province’s interests.”

Kenney asked the new Fair Deal Panel to study the switch in a broad policy review presented to the Manning Centre conference on Nov. 9 in Red Deer, 150 km north of Calgary.

His office’s summary of the speech said “Albertans are expressing unprecedented levels of frustration with the federal government.”

“We invite the panel to consult on using the existing provincial power to appoint the Chief Firearms Officer for Alberta,” Kenney said at 57 min 23 sec in the YouTube video replay.

CFO System Overview

 

What’s a CFO?

  • Every province and territory has a Chief Firearms Officer who oversees the office that administers the federal Canadian Firearms Program under the federal Firearms Act of 1995 and related regulations.

 

CFO Duties

John Robert Ervin, the Chief Firearms Officer for Saskatchewan, outlined his main duties to a Senate committee in June 2012:

  • Issuing and revoking firearm licences
  • Approving firearm purchases and sales
  • Issuing Authorizations To Transport firearms
  • Issuing Authorizations To Carry firearms
  • Approving shooting clubs and ranges
  • Administering the Canadian Firearms Safety Course
  • Approving and inspecting gun shops and other businesses

 

Opt-In Vs. Opt-Out

  • Opt-Out: Alberta is one of eight provinces and territories that have opted out of appointing a provincial official to run the federal program, leaving it to federal employees of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
  • Opt-In: The five remaining so-called “opt-in” provinces appoint their own Chief Firearms Officer.

 

Opt-Out Provinces and Territories: Feds Appoint CFO

  1. Alberta
  2. British Columbia
  3. Manitoba
  4. Newfoundland and Labrador
  5. Northwest Territories
  6. Nunavut
  7. Saskatchewan
  8. Yukon

 

Opt-In Provinces: Province Appoints CFO

  1. Ontario
  2. New Brunswick
  3. Nova Scotia
  4. Prince Edward Island
  5. Quebec

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