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432-00402 (Public safety)

Paper petition

Original language of petition: English

PETITION TO THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA

WHEREAS

  • The Liberal government's December 5, 2019, Speech from the Throne contains numerous inaccuracies about current firearms legislation and regulation;
  • The term "military-style assault rifles" is a political phrase undefined in Canadian law;
  • Municipalities are constitutionally unable to enact criminal law to ban handguns in their jurisdictions;
  • The experts, including Chiefs of Police in Canada's largest cities, agree banning firearms and requiring law abiding gun owners to follow more unnecessary red tape will not increase public safety;
  • The majority of guns used in violent crime are smuggled into Canada from the United States;
  • The Liberal government continues to target law-abiding firearms owners instead of the gangs, drug traffickers, and illegal gun traffickers responsible for violence in our communities;

We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to stop targeting law-abiding firearms owners, cancel all plans to confiscate firearms legally owned by federally-licensed, RCMP-vetted Canadians, and focus their limited resources on anti-gang enforcement, on reducing the involvement of at-risk youth in gang violence, and on providing the Canada Border Services Agency with the tools needed to stop the flow of illegal guns into our country.

Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable David Lametti

The Government believes in implementing effective measures with respect to firearms that prioritize public safety, while remaining mindful of the impact of such measures on firearms owners and businesses.

Any device or contrivance designed or intended to muffle or stop the sound or report of a firearm has been unlawful in Canada since the early 1900s. These items are prescribed as prohibited devices in the Regulations Prescribing Certain Firearms and Other Weapons, Components and Parts of Weapons, Accessories, Cartridge Magazines, Ammunition and Projectiles as Prohibited or Restricted.

Sound reduction or elimination diminishes the public’s ability to react to gun shots and makes it difficult for law enforcement to become aware of a possible criminal incident.                                                                

Firearms owners can make use of other forms of hearing protection that are commonly available and that do not adversely impact public safety.

Presented to the House of Commons
Brad Vis (Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon)
December 9, 2020 (Petition No. 432-00402)
Government response tabled
January 25, 2021
Photo - Brad Vis
Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon
Conservative Caucus
British Columbia

Only validated signatures are counted towards the total number of signatures.