Feds’ Firearms Policies Not Backed by Evidence: Report

Hunting rifles and shotguns at a gun store in Toronto in a file photo. The Canadian Press/Kevin Frayer

The Liberal government’s approach to gun control to reduce violence is not backed by evidence, says a new report by the MacDonald-Laurier Institute (MLI).

The report released on Aug. 14 goes over the various measures implemented by the government in recent years, from the ban of so-called “assault-style” firearms to the freeze of handgun transfers, and the introduction of Bill C-21.

“These measures are out of step with the strongest evidence,” write authors Noah Schwartz and Tim Thurley in “Aiming off target: gun policy in Canada.” Mr. Shwartz is an assistant professor of political science at the University of the Fraser Valley and Mr. Thurley is a firearm policy specialist.

“While they will have little effect on violent crime, these policies will have significant adverse impacts on hundreds of thousands of Canadian hunters, farmers, trappers, collectors, and sport shooters, including Indigenous communities, and those businesses and networks supporting them.”

The authors argue that the recent changes to Canadian firearms policies have been mostly shaped by “political considerations” and “wedge politics.” They add these policies also distract from “meaningful” and “evidence-based” efforts to reduce crime and violence.

The ban on certain firearms deemed to be “assault-style” was announced after the mass shooting tragedy in Portapique, Nova Scotia, in April 2020. The Liberal government intends to buy back the recently-designated prohibited firearms at a probable cost of over a billion dollars, but the program has not yet been launched.

The MLI report points out that the Portapique shooter’s firearms were mostly illegally obtained from the United States. It adds that true assault rifles are prohibited in Canada since 1978 and that the “assault weapons” terminology was adopted from gun control advocates in the U.S., who sought an “easier public relations win.”

The report also criticizes the handgun transfer freeze which first came through regulations last fall but will be enshrined in law if Bill C-21 passes in its current form.

The authors argue that Canada already has a strong regime to control handguns and that the freeze offers “no appreciable public safety benefit” due to the vast majority of guns used in criminal acts coming illegally from the U.S.

The freeze also negatively impacts sport shooters and prevents collectors from passing their heirlooms on to their families, which can lead to the destruction of expensive pieces of historical significance.

Controversy

Bill C-21 was the object of much controversy at the end of 2022, with the Liberals introducing two amendments without consultation. One amendment sought to implement an evergreen definition of what constitutes an “assault-style” firearm, which captured a large number of semi-automatic rifles, while the other added a number of rifles used for hunting to the prohibited list.

After an uproar from civil society, indigenous groups, the Conservatives, and the NDP, the Liberals withdrew the amendments.

But similar provisions have since been reintroduced, with the evergreen definition now targeting only newly designed firearms. As for the banning of additional firearms, the bill wants to leave that in the hands of an eventual firearms committee.

The MLI report quotes from scholarly literature which says that specific bans on firearms are not effective at curbing gun violence.

Gun control group PolySeSouvient criticized the Liberal government for pulling its initial Bill C-21 amendments, calling it a “total capitulation” before the pressure. The group also says the new measures are “watered down.”

Nevertheless, PolySeSouvient and other groups asked senators to adopt the bill before the summer break.

“While the legislation does not contain all the measures that were promised to Canadians, those that are included in Bill C-21 represent a significant step forward in making communities across Canada safer from gun violence. That is why we want it passed as quickly as possible, without any amendments,” said PolySeSouvient spokesperson Nathalie Provost in a statement.

Bill C-21 passed the House of Commons in May and completed its second reading in the Senate on June 21. A review by the Senate committee on national security is the next hurdle to clear.

Recommendations

The MLI report makes a number of recommendations, some of which are scaled. It says the handgun freeze should be lifted, or at the minimum allow for exemptions for participants in shooting sports.

It also calls for the scrapping of the 2020 Order-in-Council banning a large number of firearms, noting the cost to the taxpayer for the buyback and the “little evidence” that it will contribute to public safety.

The authors also call for a focus on combatting gun smuggling and providing funding for communities for prevention, with programs that are aimed at mediation between rival gangs that have been tested in U.S. cities.