Proposed Measures Will Make It Easier For Firearms Owners

March 18, 2008

TOBIQUE-MACTAQUAC – Mike Allen, Member of Parliament for Tobique-Mactaquac, is elated by the measures proposed earlier this month to make it easier for firearms owners to renew the registration of their long guns.

On March 1, the Government of Canada published these measures in Part I of the Canada Gazette, further to the announcement in Budget 2008.

“I’m pleased to see this additional action taken as a key step toward the elimination of the gun registry,” said Mr. Allen.

The proposed measures will renew the amnesty period for non-restricted firearms until May 16, 2009. Currently, this is set to end on May 16, 2008. They will also extend the fee waiver involved with renewing or upgrading an existing license until that same date.

“One of the things I’m most happy about is getting rid of the requirement for people with expired Possession-Only Licenses to take a safety course or test,” Mr. Allen said.

As it stands now, if a person’s Possession-Only License (POL) expires, they are unable to get a straight-forward renewal. They must get a Possession and Acquisition License (PAL), which requires firearms safety training.

“So many of my constituents have long guns as keepsakes and don’t even hunt anymore, so taking a course or test caused them great anxiety,” explained Mr. Allen. “They want to be on side with the law, but the rules as they stand now are making it very difficult for them.”

Under the proposed regulatory changes, people with expired POLs will have until May 16, 2009 to apply to renew them. Once they renew, the new POL will be good for five years.

“Our government is committed to effective gun control, but we believe in targeting criminals and not hunters and farmers,” Mr. Allen said. “As it stands now there is not enough support from the opposition parties to help us completely eliminate the long-gun registry as we would like to do. For now, this is a positive step to protect law-abiding people.”

Publication in Part I of the Canada Gazette gives interested groups and individuals a final opportunity to review and comment on the proposed regulation at the last stages of the regulation-making process, before it is enacted and published in Part II of the Canada Gazette.