TheGunBlog.ca — A report by Canada’s firearm regulator shows there are “no reasons why” the country’s 2.2 million men and women with a gun licence shouldn’t have firearms, suggesting the prime minister’s plans for mass confiscations are unjustified.
“All applicants are screened to ensure that there are no reasons why, in the interest of public safety, they should not possess a firearm,” the Ottawa-based Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in its 2018 Commissioner of Firearms report, published online yesterday.
The commissioner of firearms is Brenda Lucki, also the commissioner of the RCMP.
Mass Confiscation
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is ignoring the federal police chief.
He’s preparing to order licence holders to surrender 250,000 of their rifles or face jail, and working to seize their handguns.
It’s one of the biggest crackdowns against honest citizens by any democracy in history.
‘Immediate Steps’
“There are immediate steps we will take in the coming weeks on that,” Trudeau told media this week.
https://twitter.com/TheGunBlog/status/1220444448267603974
The RCMP Canadian Firearms Program oversees the system to screen and authorize or refuse people applying for a firearm Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL).
The permits are temporary and can be revoked easily.
Everyone without a licence is banned from buying, selling or having any gun, under threat of prison.
‘Continuous Eligibility Screening’
The federal RCMP works with the Chief Firearms Officer of every province and territory, and checks every permit holder every day under “continuous eligibility screening.”
“As part of the CFP mandate to promote public safety, firearms licence applicants are screened to assess their eligibility to possess a firearms licence,” said the 2018 RCMP report, dated 2019. “After a firearms licence is issued, continuous eligibility screening is conducted over the term of the licence.”
Policy Failure
The complexity, cost and rising criticism of Trudeau’s confiscation plans suggest he will fail.
A growing movement of provincial premiers, police leaders and the public opposes him.
100,000+ Signatures
A petition against his confiscation order surpassed 100,000 signatures today.
It’s on track to become Canada’s most-signed e-petition.
Almost 30,000 people have yet to confirm the e-mail that validates their signature.
https://twitter.com/TheGunBlog/status/1220467435423195136
Shooting Heritage
Canada’s tradition and heritage of firearm ownership are older than the country itself.
Millions of men, women and youth manage guns safely and responsibly for protection, hunting, predator control, recreation, competition and collecting among many other legitimate uses.
Licensing System
The licensing system has cost billions of dollars with no evidence of improved personal or public safety.
An unintended effect of the system is two decades of data on millions of gun owners showing they are among the safest and most-trustworthy men and women in Canada.
“A firearms licence shows that the licence holder can possess and use firearms,” the RCMP says on its licensing web page.
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