Mendicino should discard Bill C‑21 in its entirety, and start over

As Canadians grapple with mounting rates of gun violence, it is worth addressing some of the overarching issues that continue to be misrepresented by gun control opponents as well as many decision-makers, fuelling much of the opposition to gun control. Indeed, one of the main concerns is that the conversation around gun control has turned into an “either or” debate, that is, “either we invest in primary prevention, or we implement gun control." That’s like saying “either we get people to stop smoking, or we screen people for cancer." Nathalie Provost, the lead author on this op-ed, is a survivor of the Polytechnique massacre and spokesperson for PolySeSouvient. Photograph: handout And, just like fighting cancer, the different variants of this disease require different prevention measures and different medical treatment. The public health approach to fighting gun violence and suicide relies on a multi-pronged approach that includes primary prevention, restricting access to the means of violence and addressing treatment and enforcement gaps. Gun violence is not a one-dimensional problem, and neither is the solution. On the other hand, the gun lobby strives to frame the problem as one that is solely driven by “criminals” using “illegal guns” and insists that gun crime and violence are not perpetrated by law-abiding gun owners. While gangs and gun smuggling are real problems that must be addressed, most mass shootings are committed by legal gun owners, and most suicides and intimate partner gun homicides involve hunting rifles. Virtually all illegal guns were at one time legal. Legal guns are diverted to illegal markets because they are stolen, illegally sold or illegally imported. Evidence from industrialized countries around the world supports the thesis that where there are more guns, there are more gun deaths, injuries and crimes. The various groups and individuals we represent—including the 200 partner organizations of the Coalition for Gun Control—are committed to addressing the root causes of violence but are also acutely aware that the availability of firearms means that suicide attempts are more likely to end in death, women are more likely to be killed by their abusers, the risk of mass shootings is increased, and it’s easier for gangs to get access to guns. In terms of solutions, at the outset, we are united in our opposition to Bill C-21 which was tabled under the previous Liberal government but not adopted. The measures it contained were not based on evidence or on consultation with experts. They were ineffectual and potentially even damaging to efforts to reduce gun violence. That is why (with the exception of the prohibition on unregulated airguns that are indistinguishable from firearms) we are calling on Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino to discard Bill C‑21 in its entirety and to develop an entirely new set of firearm control measures and interventions. Together we recommend the following: Provide substantial new investments for training, more rigorous screening, better enforcement and accountability. For example, the government needs to ensure the proper use of the Firearm Incident Police system (FIP) which is currently under-utilized. Police need better training on the importance of feeding incidents into the system and the public needs to be better educated on the real risks associated with guns and the importance of reporting dangerous behaviour. Strengthen the screening and conditions related to the granting of licences as well as the criteria leading to an automatic prohibition on owning guns, like being the subject of a protection order associated with intimate partner violence. Force police and other public safety officials to take action in response to concerns raised by health-care professionals and other mental health experts, including on an emergency basis when warranted. Introduce an “evergreen” measure that ensures the definition of prohibited weapon includes all assault-style weapons such as semi-automatic centre-fire rifles. Close all loopholes and eliminate all exemptions to the 5/10 limits for the number of rounds in magazines. Require a gun licence to purchase magazines, just as it is a requirement to purchase ammunition. Introduce nationwide measures to counter the proliferation of handguns in Canada, such as capping the number handgun of licences and grandfathering existing handguns. Ideally, they should be banned. At the very least, immediately ban the importation and manufacture of new handguns. Remove the requirement for police to obtain judicial authority in order to access commercial sales records for non-restricted rifles and shotguns. Conform to all international laws and treaties related to firearms, including the 2008 UN agreement on marking and tracing specifically designed to curtail the international trafficking of guns. Remove the six-month grace period for failure to renew licences. Reinstate transport permits for restricted firearms for all travel purposes (not just 3.5 per cent of them, as under Bill C-71). Remove the 20-year limit for commercial gun sale record keeping (as the United States just announced it would do). The Liberal government was elected in each of the last three elections (2015, 2019, and 2021) based on promises to reverse the harm caused by the previous Conservative government and to strengthen gun control laws in Canada. It is time to deliver the kind of gun control the majority Canadians expect and to finally give survivors and victims’ families some closure. Nathalie Provost, the lead author of this op-ed, is a survivor of the Polytechnique massacre and spokesperson for PolySeSouvient. The other authors are: Wendy Cukier, president of the Coalition for Gun Control; Heidi Rathjen and Suzanne Laplante-Edward, spokespeople for the PolySeSouvient/PolyRemembers; Martha Jackman, member of the national steering committee, National Association of Women and the Law; Ken Price and Claire Smith, coordinators of Danforth Families for Safe Communities; Alan Drummond, spokesperson for the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians; Boufeldja Benabdallah, spokesperson for Mosquée de Québec; Maxime Riera, Shawn Leblanc, and Benjamin Turgeon, spokespeople for student movement NOT_HERE; Luna Vadlamudy, spokesperson for Ensemble pour Thomas; Louise De Sousa and Meaghan Hennegan, spokespeople for Dawson families for gun control; and Alison Irons, former RCMP officer and mother of gun femicide victim Lindsay Wilson (1986-2013). The Hill Times

Mendicino should discard Bill C‑21 in its entirety, and start over

It is time to deliver the kind of gun control the majority Canadians expect and to finally give survivors and victims’ families some closure.

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Mendicino should discard Bill C‑21 in its entirety, and start over

It is time to deliver the kind of gun control the majority Canadians expect and to finally give survivors and victims’ families some closure.

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