Gun control advocates urge senators not to broaden handgun freeze exemption – National | 24CA News
Proponents of more durable firearm restrictions are urging senators to not broaden an exemption for Olympic athletes from the federal handgun freeze to incorporate a wider vary of sport shooters.
When they launched gun-control laws final yr, the federal Liberals introduced a plan to implement a freeze on importing, shopping for, promoting or in any other case transferring handguns to assist scale back firearm-related violence.
Federal laws aimed toward capping the variety of handguns in Canada at the moment are in impact. The invoice has measures that may reinforce the handgun freeze.
Businesses can nonetheless promote to exempted people, together with elite sport shooters who compete or coach in handgun occasions acknowledged by the worldwide Olympic or Paralympic committees.
Gun-control advocates together with the group PolySeSouvient mentioned in a letter to Senate committee members finding out the invoice that increasing the exemption would put the pursuits of leisure sport shooters who need to purchase new handguns forward of public security.
A consultant of the National Association of Women and the Law has additionally written to members of the Senate committee to precise opposition to such a wording change.
The committee is reviewing the invoice clause by clause after listening to from an array of witnesses.
During his look, Jim Smith of the International Practical Shooting Confederation requested senators to widen the exemption to incorporate individuals of their competitions.
Unlike at extra conventional competitions, the confederation’s matches can contain firing on the transfer at stationary and cell targets, and making an attempt to be fast between photographs when reloading or drawing from a holster.
Smith mentioned that whereas the invoice doesn’t outright ban handgun possession, the consequence for IPSC Canada is that, as a sport, “we’ll see a gradual demise as our athletes age when no new athletes are launched and current rivals’ tools wears out with them unable to supply replacements.
“Since the ban was introduced by order-in-council, we have already seen a slow decline in participation as new prospective members have been unable to purchase handguns.”
The letter to senators from PolySeSouvient is signed by others pushing for tighter legal guidelines, together with Boufeldja Benabdallah, spokesperson for the Quebec Mosque group, and Meaghan Hennegan of Dawson Families for Gun Control.
Amending the invoice to additional broaden the Olympic exemption “risks completely nullifying the freeze on new handgun acquisitions,” since Canadian regulation already primarily limits handgun purchases to focus on shooters, the letter says.
“It would be akin to prohibiting new cars — except for drivers.
“Expanding the exemption would prioritize the interests of recreational sports shooters who want to buy new handguns over the lives of (highly predictable) future victims of gun violence,” the letter says.
It would additionally forged apart proof that gender-based violence and intimate associate violence are fuelled not solely by entry to lengthy weapons but additionally handguns, it provides.
“Furthermore, it would negate the long and arduous democratic process that led to the freeze on new handguns in the bill, involving years of advocacy by victims’ groups, unwavering public support and its adoption by the elected members of the House of Commons.”
© 2023 The Canadian Press
