Saskatchewan is calling on the federal government to devolve all parts of the federal Firearms Act to the province of Saskatchewan—so the province could administer and regulate firearms within its borders.
A private member’s motion calling on Ottawa to do that was passed unanimously in Saskatchewan’s legislature on April 25. The opposition NDP also supported the motion.
The vote was 40–0.
“Saskatchewan is different than downtown Toronto,” said Fred Bradshaw, the Saskatchewan Party MLA behind the motion. “What the federal government needs to do is they need to go after the criminals that are using firearms because the criminals don’t have a firearms license,” he told The Epoch Times. “They are the ones causing the problem.”
Mr. Bradshaw said administering and regulating firearms provincially for Saskatchewan would be a better solution.
“The federal government is absolutely overstepping their bounds,” he said.
At the same time, he said he has no illusions about Ottawa actually doing that.
“This is just sending a message to the federal government that we are not happy here in Saskatchewan,” he said.
A national firearms rights group said while firearms are regulated federally by law, the Saskatchewan motion sends a message, if nothing else.
“I think it’s a very clear message to the Liberal government that they’ve fumbled the ball,” said Tracey Wilson of the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights.
“You’ve got crime and violence rising all across the country,” she told The Epoch Times. “And at the same time, they just seem hell-bent on attacking legal gun owners, and it’s completely unjustified ... it’s not working, and it’s time to try something else.”
The bill cements into law that legally owned and used handguns cannot be imported, purchased, or transferred.
The federal bill also includes a red flag provision, which allows people to flag concerns about someone’s gun ownership if it may pose a risk to themselves or others. Such concerns can be submitted to provincial courts.
In addition, the legislation increases maximum penalties for gun smuggling and trafficking.
Mr. Bradshaw says he is licenced to own several handguns that he uses at a local range and would like to eventually pass them on to his daughter—but the law prevents that.
“I can’t even give them to my daughter. I can’t sell them. I can’t do anything,” he said.
Ottawa has announced plans for a massive buyback program for gun owners, but says it is still being worked on. It has also extended the amnesty for owning such guns until Oct. 30, 2025. But while people won’t be charged for owning them, they also can’t use them.
“So basically, we’re just not allowed to use them,” said Ms. Wilson. “We’re not allowed to sell them or get rid of them,” she said, so the guns remain sitting in safe storage.
She added confiscating hundreds of thousands of legally acquired firearms is “virtually impossible.”
“It’s insane. So they’ve extended that amnesty out past the next federal election, which is interesting timing and sort of gives a nod to what we’ve been saying all along—that it’s purely political,” she said.
Not everyone is opposed to the federal Firearms Act as it was passed.
“Its refusal to provide its expertise for govt’s #AssaultWeapons buyback program (which majority of Canadians support) is unacceptable,” the post said in part.
Public Safety Canada did not respond to an Epoch Times request by deadline to comment on Saskatchewan’s motion.
