TheGunBlog.ca — Saskatchewan hired a high-profile advocate for hunters, farmers and sport shooters as its new Chief Firearms Officer today, breaking with a federal government and regulatory regime that criminalize them.
Why It Matters
- Saskatchewan is defending citizen rights and provincial rights against federal Liberal Party attacks.
- CFO influences how rules are applied, whether respectful or hostile to firearm users.
- Risk: Future hostile government could appoint hostile CFO.
CFO Robert Freberg
The government of Premier Scott Moe named Robert Freberg as its new Chief Firearms Officer.
Freberg will manage the federal licensing and administration regime for the province’s firearm users, ending two decades of federal oversight. Every province has the option of hiring its own CFO or getting a federal appointee.
Saskatchewan said in May it would take the power after Canada’s governing Liberal Party attacked licensed farmers, hunters, plinkers, competitors and firearm collectors with mass rifle and shotgun confiscations.
Moe Comment
“Mr. Freberg is well suited to serve in this position and to represent the interests of the Saskatchewan firearms community,” Moe said on Twitter. “Our government will continue to listen to and stand up for law-abiding firearms owners.”
The hiring comes as Moe campaigns for re-election in October in a province with one of Canada’s highest rates of firearm ownership.
Oudoors, Sports Advocate
Freberg is a gun-safety instructor who has volunteered and served on the board of directors of the Saskatoon Wildlife Federation for more than 40 years, the government press release said. He was president for five years.
He has been on the Canadian Shooting Sports Association board of directors, and is active in nature conservation and outdoor education.
Anti-Gun Bias
Hiring a decades-long supporter of firearm users marks a notable shift away from a system built to constrain them.
The Liberals passed the Firearms Act against gun owners in 1995, and keep inventing prohibitions that weaken citizens, cripple the firearm industry and kill modern shooting sports.
Criminalize Honest Canadians
Gun users are the only group in Canada where honest men and women:
- Are deemed criminals for healthy, helpful and harmless actions,
- Risk jail unless they are approved by and report to the federal police, and
- Risk jail under a new government crackdown backed by certain executives in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Examples
Canadian law makes it a crime to own a simple firearm frame — a hunk of metal — without police permission. You can also go to jail for taking a detour on the way to the target range, changing address without telling the police in time, or lending a handgun to a spouse without explicit police approval.
‘Practical and Symbolic Importance’
“Freberg’s nomination has huge practical and symbolic importance,” said Nicolas Johnson, the editor of TheGunBlog.ca. “I am happy for him, for Saskatchewan, and for Canada.”
Saskatchewan Blocks Liberals
The Liberals ordered their latest round of confiscations on May 1, working in secret with the federal police and hiding their plans from parliament and the public.
In addition to naming its own CFO, Saskatchewan is preparing a law to shield residents from the Liberals’ pending handgun confiscations.
‘Many Concerns’
“We have many concerns about the decisions the federal government is making that affect law-abiding Saskatchewan firearms owners,” Christine Tell, the minister of corrections and policing, said in a press release. “A provincially-selected Chief Firearms Officer is an important step in ensuring that Saskatchewan and its firearms community have a strong voice on this issue.”
Freberg Quote
“I’m hoping, in consultation with the premier and Minister Tell and others, that we’re going to be able to put together some … points or references that we can bring back to the federal government that makes sense and represents the views of Saskatchewan,” Global News quoted Freberg as saying.
‘Freberg Was Best Suited’
“Ultimately, we felt that based on his experience, Mr. Freberg was best suited to serve in this position and to represent the interests of the Saskatchewan firearms community,” Tell said in her statement.
Alberta is also defending its citizens from the Liberal attacks, as provinces, police and the public reject the forced seizures.
Related
- Saskatchewan to Name Own Chief Firearms Officer, Opposing Feds
- Saskatchewan to Block Trudeau Handgun Confiscations With New Law
- Liberal Gun Bans
- See all our CFO reports
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Correction: Corrects sentence on potential crimes for gun users.