Since 2003, the CSSA has worked hard to educate our respective federal governments about the dangers of the United Nations’ Firearms Marking Regulations.

For 20 long years, both Liberal and Conservative governments have delayed the implementation date of Firearms Marking Regulations SOR/2004-275.

Ultimately, no government, Liberal or Conservative, wanted to be held responsible for severely damaging a legitimate Canadian industry for no purpose.

The latest deadline for SOR/2004-275 to come into force is December 1, 2023.[i]

Will Trudeau kick this useless can down the road again, like he did in 2020?[ii]

Or will he finally drop these useless and redundant regulations for good?

Useless and Redundant

The goal of the UN Firearm Marking protocol is to ensure every firearm can be traced back to its point of origin. [iii] All firearms imported into Canada already contain a “unique marking” that allows a firearm to be accurately traced.

It’s called a serial number.

The serial number is used by the RCMP (and every other police agency in the world) to trace a firearm to its point of origin. If it’s good enough for the RCMP and allows them to track a firearm, there is no reason it can’t be good enough to address the concerns of the United Nations.

Cost Prohibitive

Canada imports roughly 320,000 firearms every year, and another 350,000 airguns, Airsoft and paintball guns. It is not possible to mark 670,000 firearms per year by hand.

Adding another mark to imported firearms is redundant and prohibitively expensive.

Hidden Agenda Already Accomplished

When first introduced, it was widely believed the unspoken intent of the UN Firearms Marking Scheme was to increase the cost of firearms.

Since world governments would never agree to an outright ban despite individual countries, including Liberal-ruled Canada, wanting it, the UN Firearms Marking Scheme was a way to add to the cost of a gun.

Fast forward 20 years. Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government has outlawed great swaths of rifles and shotguns, and made it a crime to legally buy, sell, give or lend others.

Criminal buying and selling of illegal firearms continues unabated, a point seemingly lost on Trudeau and his government.

Retailers are terrified to import new firearms for fear the government will decree them illegal as well.

Firearms are harder to legally obtain and those firearms that are still available are far more expensive.

Justin Trudeau has accomplished what the United Nations wanted.

 

Call To Action

While we don’t know what the Trudeau government plans to do on this file next, please write the Minister of Public Safety and politely demand he repeal Firearms Marking Regulations SOR/2004-275.[iv]

The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc
Email: dominic.leblanc@parl.gc.ca
Telephone: 613-992-1020
Fax: 613-992-3053

 

 

Sources:

[i] https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2004-275/page-1.html

[ii] https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2004-275/section-6-20181109.html

[iii] https://treaties.un.org/doc/source/docs/A_RES_55_255-E.pdf

[iv] https://www.ourcommons.ca/members/en/dominic-leblanc(1813)#contact