Ottawa considered P.E.I. as pilot location for gun buy-back launch before reversing course
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The Trudeau authorities initially deliberate to launch its controversial gun buy-back program in P.E.I. this 12 months, beginning its assortment of newly-banned firearms within the province as a pilot.
However as of Jan. 10, Public Security Canada has confirmed to SaltWire Community that the federal authorities not intends to launch a P.E.I. pilot of the gun buy-back program earlier than different provinces.
The buy-back program remains to be deliberate prematurely of a brand new ban coming into impact on over 1,800 fashions of firearms deemed to be “assault-style firearms.” There’s presently no public timeline for when the buyback program will start.
A minister’s transition guide for the federal division of Public Companies and Procurement Canada, dated Aug. 31, 2022, included the point out of a P.E.I. pilot for the gun buy-back program.
The guide, posted publicly on Dec. 29, 2022, states that Part 1 of the buy-back program would start final month and could be led by the RCMP.
“Prince Edward Island (PE) will probably be used as a pilot and would be the first level of assortment based mostly on the smaller variety of firearms,” the transition guide states. “In consequence, classes realized, gaps evaluation and danger evaluation would inform the Part 2 nationwide roll-out.”
The guide additionally states {that a} nationwide roll-out of the buy-back program would start in spring 2023.
The main points of the P.E.I. pilot for the gun buy-back program have been first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter on Jan. 9.
Audrey Champoux, press secretary for Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino, confirmed there are not plans to launch the buy-back program in P.E.I. first.
“We’re taking vital step in direction of constructing safer communities with a complete technique to get lethal firearms off our road, together with the assault-style firearms buyback,” Champoux mentioned in an emailed assertion.
“Because the minister’s said, we’re contemplating many choices. The one included within the minister of procurement’s transition binder was one among many choices on the desk and needs to be thought-about old-fashioned. We’ll be glad to share additional info because it turns into obtainable.”
A consultant of the P.E.I. Division of Justice and Public Security confirmed the province was knowledgeable of plans to implement a pilot of the firearms buy-back program in P.E.I. final summer time.
“Nonetheless, discussions have been paused within the fall throughout federal, provincial and territorial discussions. Right now, the Province remains to be awaiting additional particulars from the federal authorities on how their buy-back program could also be applied,” Vicki Tse, senior communications officer for P.E.I.’s Division of Justice and Public Security, wrote in a Jan. 11 e mail.
Tse additionally mentioned the buy-back program was a “federal coverage determination” and that the P.E.I. authorities was “not consulted within the determination” to start the launch of the federal program within the province.
SaltWire Community contacted the chiefs of police for Kensington and Summerside. Neither have been conscious of plans for native regulation enforcement to implement a gun buy-back program within the instant future.
As of 2020, the RCMP experiences there are 6,464 firearms licences in P.E.I.
Gun ban
In Could 2020, the federal authorities introduced a ban on the use or sale of greater than 1,500 firearms deemed to be “assault-style weapons.” An amnesty interval of this ban will expire on Oct. 30, 2023.
The federal authorities later launched Invoice C-21 in February of 2021. The invoice included particulars of a buyback program.
Invoice C-21 has handed second studying within the Home of Commons however is presently earlier than a standing committee.
The main target of the invoice was initially on handguns. However amendments launched within the standing committee in late fall by a Liberal MP may additionally ban different lengthy weapons utilized by hunters.
The modification may ban any rifle or shotgun that accepts {a magazine} with greater than 5 rounds.
The amendments have drawn criticism from each the precise and left ends of the political spectrum. Each northern B.C. Conservative MP Bob Zimmer and Timmins-James Bay NDP MP Charlie Angus have criticized the amendments, which may add firearms utilized by leisure and conventional First Nations hunters.
Members of native leisure shooter organizations, such because the Girls Shooters of P.E.I., have additionally been vital of Invoice C-21.
Stu Neatby is a political reporter with the SaltWire Community in Prince Edward Island. He will be reached by e mail at [email protected] and adopted on Twitter @stu_neatby.
