OTTAWA (Staff) – The Liberal government’s new gun control rules have raised the ire of the gun lobby, some rural residents, the Reform party and NDP members over the requirement that within a few years, all guns will have to be registered.
Critics said it will be expensive and ineffective in fighting crime. But there are other features of the firearms legislation that MPs also approved last week and that Senators will be considering this summer and autumn.
The legislation will:
- Impose a minimum four year sentence on anyone convicted of a criminal act using a weapon.
- Provide stiffer penalties for illegally importing guns.
- Impose a ban on importation or sale of .25 or .32 calibre handguns or handguns with a barrel of less than 4.14 inches.
- Require a less-serious charge for long gun owners who “inadvertently” fail to register their wea-pons. It will be a less serious summary offence. Later violations will be punished with a criminal conviction.
