OTTAWA – In a flurry of harsh political accusations, the federal government last week produced the regulations it will use to enforce its new gun control legislation.
Opposition critics accused the Liberals of imposing unnecessary and expensive restrictions which will have no impact on crime.
Alberta Reform MP Jack Ramsay said justice minister Allan Rock is “in the grip of those who would support a lack of common sense.”
The government accused its critics, including the three prairie provinces which have refused to administer the new rules, of irresponsible behavior.
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Rock said they were “kneeling before the gun lobby.” He vowed Ottawa will administer controls on the Prairies.
“We will stand up to the gun lobby,” he said. “We will stand up for Canadians.”
The regulations tabled in Parliament last week put flesh and skin on the bones of legislation approved a year ago.
They require that:
- By 2001, all gun owners will be required to license their guns, with fees of $10 for five years for a currently owned firearm licensed by 1998, rising to $60 for five years in 2000.
- By 2003, all firearms will have to be registered, with fees starting at $10 in 1998 and rising to $18 in 2001.
- By 2001, everyone buying ammunition will be required to produce a licence to possess a firearm.
The regulations contained two major surprises.
When someone applies for a firearms acquisition licence, spouses or partners who recently have lived with the application will be notified to give them a chance to voice concerns for their safety.
“A major goal of this legislation is to prevent an escalation of violence in already difficult or abusive domestic situations,” said the justice minister.
And the rules will not be as strict for natives. They will require licences and registration but administration may be delegated to local native communities.
Natives and others who use firearms for sustenance or protection on traplines will not have to pay registration and licensing fees.
In introducing the rules, Rock saved some of his harshest words for the Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta governments which are joining with the Territories to challenge the legislation in court and which have vowed not to administer the law.
Rock said Ottawa would pick up the cost of administration and he called the provincial action “nothing less than a shocking abdication of their responsibility …. They have shown they oppose gun control.”
Ramsay argued they have shown only that they oppose costly, onerous and ineffective gun control.
He accused Rock of creating “a crisis in federal-provincial relations” by moving before he had provincial agreement.
In the House of Commons Nov. 29, Athabasca Reform MP Dave Chatters said the regulations divide Canadians because they give natives a break that others do not receive.
Peace River Reform MP Charlie Penson said his constituents are outraged by the rules.
“They ask: ‘what will making farmers, ranchers and hunters register rifles and shotguns do to reduce crime in this country?’ I agree with constituents of Peace River and I believe most fair-minded Canadians do also.”
