The federal government has introduced a bill that includes a national freeze on guns. For some Albertans, the measure is a step in the right direction, while others say it will not adequately address armed violence.
The Minister of Public Security, Marco Mendicino, presented the bill, C-21, to the House of Commons on Monday. At the same time, the purchase, sale, import and transfer of weapons to the country were frozen.
Measures aimed at banning weapons or restricting their use by citizens are a step in the right direction, says Jose Neto.
Neto nearly died – and was permanently blinded – after being hit by a stray bullet in 2008 when a man several meters away shot a drug dealer during an altercation in the Chinatown of Calgary.
“I hope they restrict more here in the near future. Because I’m a victim of it and I don’t want my kids to have to go through anything,” Neto said.
“I know how much this can affect someone’s life … once you go through that, you pay more attention to what’s going on,” he said.
Neto says he is happy that action has been taken.
“We have to worry about what’s going on right now and the actions we can take right now. And I think that’s a good way to start. There’s no better time than now.”
Calgary Police Supervisor Cliff O’Brien recently told CBC about the recent rise in gun violence in the city, with 60 shootings already this year: almost double the five-year average.
Federal legislation revives some of the federal measures that were not passed before last year’s general election and implements new proposals.
The provincial firearms officer says the C-21 is missing the mark
Alberta’s head of firearms, Teri Bryant, says the new legislation is aimed at law-abiding gun owners and that for many people, guns are “an important part of their lives.”
“People speak it lightly and say ‘Oh, it’s just a hobby.’ It’s not just a hobby, it’s a community that has a whole way of life,” he said.
Instead of the proposed freeze this week, Bryant said he believes the government should try to fund more firearms agents across the country and border personnel to deal with illegal smuggling and trafficking. of firearms.
She believes there would be more benefit if more attention was paid to following up on people who have firearms ban orders against them.
“Often, these people already have numerous firearms ban orders against them, and yet they can still go out and locate and obtain firearms,” Bryant said.
“We need to keep a close eye on these people and better monitor them because they really are high-risk criminals. The problem with this package of measures is that it is aimed at people who are at the lowest risk of delinquency.”
The bill includes the withdrawal of firearms licenses from people involved in domestic violence or harassment, and a provision that would require people who are determined to be a threat to themselves or others to hand over your firearms to law enforcement.
Bryant also said he believes the freeze is an intrusion into the property rights of Albertans and could come at a huge financial cost, especially for those who have invested a lot of money in their weapons.
In 2019, during his testimony before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Defense, while considering changes to firearms regulations, Bryant said his own collection of weapons is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.