Next Chief Firearms Officer Selected By
Provincial Government
July 28, 2020
After an exhaustive and competitive process of reviewing numerous qualified applicants, Robert Freberg has been selected as Saskatchewan’s next Chief Firearms Officer (CFO).
“We were very happy with the response we received to the job posting for this position,” Corrections and Policing Minister Christine Tell said. “Ultimately, we felt that based on his experience, Mr. Freberg was best suited to serve in this position and to represent the interests of the Saskatchewan firearms community.”
Freberg is the past CEO of Brigadier Security Systems and Elite Security Systems, serving in the position for 34 years. He has been a board member and volunteer with the Saskatoon Wildlife Federation for more than 40 years and served as President for five years. He was a former elected member of the National Board of Directors for the Canadian Shooting Sports Association.
In 2018, he received the Canadian Shooting Sports National Recognition Award for outstanding contributions to the Canadian Firearms Community. He is a firearms instructor for the PAL and RPAL programs and also has close ties to both urban and rural Saskatchewan.
While Saskatchewan’s CFOs have previously been chosen by the federal government, the province made the decision earlier this year to select its own. CFOs are responsible for administering the federal Firearms Act in the provinces, and have jurisdiction over the licensing, transporting and carrying of firearms. The CFO also licenses instructors to deliver firearms safety courses in the province.
“We have many concerns about the decisions the federal government is making that affect law-abiding Saskatchewan firearms owners,” Tell said. “A provincially-selected Chief Firearms Officer is an important step in ensuring that Saskatchewan and its firearms community have a strong voice on this issue.”
The province is currently working with the federal government to ensure a seamless transition from the federally-selected CFO to one that is provincially selected. During this transition phase, the new CFO will work on getting the provincial office established, while the current CFO will continue their duties in the interim, ensuring that services for law-abiding firearms owners are not interrupted.
