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Alberta chief firearms officer Teri Bryant is raising concerns with the federal firearm ban.
Her letter to Canada’s Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino details several issues Albertans have with the 2020 federal ban. The federal measure prohibits more than 1,500 models of firearms and other related firearm components. It also calls for an amnesty period and a federal program to acquire and destroy the firearms.
The banning of an arbitrary selection of firearms and imposing unfair costs and controls on law-abiding gun owners reflects a main concern of Albertans: firearms policies and regulations should be evidence-based instead of ineffective measures that target law-abiding citizens rather than criminals.
In her letter, Bryant offers the federal government a number of recommendations to improve this approach to public safety. This includes cancelling the order-in-council prohibitions and instead focusing on measures aimed at improving the tracking and prosecution of actual offenders rather than honest, law-abiding citizens.
“The federal government’s arbitrary firearm ban creates new challenges for law-abiding firearms owners without benefiting public safety. We established the chief firearms office to assert our provincial jurisdiction and ensure the rights of Albertans. I support Alberta’s chief firearms officer in making sure we have a voice in our country’s firearms discourse.”
“Since becoming Alberta’s first provincially appointed chief firearms officer under the Firearms Act, Albertans have been consistently telling me the 2020 federal firearm ban is unrealistic, unworkable and unhelpful. I hope this letter sends the message to Ottawa loud and clear – Albertans deserve sensible and effective firearm legislation.”