Alberta Chief Firearms Officer says Trudeau’s handgun import ban won’t reduce crime
By Rachel Emmanuel
Alberta Chief Firearms Officer Teri Bryant says the Trudeau government’s ban on importing legal handguns will have no impact on crime.
The federal government announced Friday handguns for the civilian market will be barred from importation as of August 19, a directive issued without the oversight of Parliament.
The decision will not impact crime because Ottawa is banning the importation of restricted firearms which can be sold to restricted possession and acquisition license holders “which are the most carefully vetted and screened segment of Canadian society,” Bryant said.
“You’re talking about banning the import of things for use by people who are the most law-abiding, and that can’t possibly have any effect on people who are criminally misusing firearms,” Bryant said in an interview with True North.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said the government is moving forward with the importation ban before Parliament resumes in late September using regulatory measures. The new regulations will effectively “speed up” the planned ban announced in May, the ministers said.