Do gun laws make us safer? Watch and decide for yourself.
The political system in Canada uses a placebo effect to create the impression that our regulations reduce gun violence. Specifically, the current Liberal government promised in their election platform to restore the requirement to have a permit to transport restricted and prohibited firearms, reversing changes in the previous government's Bill C-42 (The Common Sense Firearms Licensing Act).
In reality, Bill C-42 did not eliminate the need for a permit whatsoever. All of the same transportation conditions still exist post C-42 with one exception; you can now also take your firearm to and from a gun show. The bill simply made it unnecessary to carry the physical piece of paper with you during transport. The information resides in a database accessible by front line officers should you get pulled over. So simply put, the permit still exists with same conditions as it always has.
No meaningful, practical changes in the transportation of firearms occurred after C-42, yet many people seem eager to convince Canadians otherwise. It’s also clear to see that if someone is licensed to own a firearm, they are trustworthy enough to drive to the shooting range to use it. In addition, it’s unlikely that a lack of paperwork or government permission stops any gang-related shootings, mass murders or other criminal uses. So the question is, what exactly are our politicians doing to stop the real causes of gun violence?
Here are the criminal penalties if you are licensed to own a firearm but fail to carry the actual paperwork with you to the shooting range. Take note of page 25: Canadian Firearms Safety Course
Every person who stores, displays, transports or handles any firearm in a manner contrary to the Storage, Display, Transportation and Handling of Firearms by Individuals Regulations is:
guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment,
in the case of a first offence, for a term not exceeding two years, and
in the case of a second or subsequent offence, for a term not exceeding five years; or
guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction (a fine of $5,000 and/or six months imprisonment).
Take note of the disproportionate punishments for paperwork or documentation offenses. Keep in mind, these are not punishments that criminals are exposed to, they are reserved for qualified, licensed gun owners.
Here is a Statistics Canada study that shows an average of 400 documentation and administrative charges laid each year in Canada. See page 20 and values represented by “Firearms documentation or administration”. Statistics Canada Report On Firearm Violence 2012
Note again, the untrue nature of the statement “repeal changes made by Bill C-42 that allow restricted and prohibited weapons to be freely transported without a permit”. Clearly, the permitting still exists including all the previous conditions.
For more reference, see the following video featuring an actual physical ATT before the change in the law.
A link to an actual scanned ATT prior to the changes made in bill C-42. This verifies claims made in both videos regarding prior conditions attached to ATT’s. Actual ATT Prior Bill C-42
