Should All Provinces Appoint Civilian CFOs? Your Feedback

In last week’s CSSA Commentary, we discussed Canada’s two civilian Chief Firearms Officers – Robert Freberg in Saskatchewan and Teri-Jane Bryant in Alberta – and shared some of the positive results those provinces are experiencing as a result.

Both Mr. Freberg and Ms. Bryant have long histories of service to the firearms community, as well as a wealth of knowledge about the Firearms Act.

There was a little confusion over the difference between “provincially appointed CFOs” and “civilian CFOs.”

While many provinces, including Ontario, have provincially appointed Chief Firearms Officers, those individuals are either RCMP members or their provincial police equivalent.

We thank everyone who took the time to submit their thoughts to us, and below are some of the common themes from the feedback we received.

 

Common Themes:

• We need civilian CFOs who understand firearms and firearm laws.
• We need to remove the politics and virtue-signaling from CFO offices.
• We need a civilian CFO in Ontario. Where are you, Doug Ford?
• I support the appointment of civilian Chief Firearms Officers in all provinces.
• I support the appointment of a civilian CFO who uses evidence-based decision making.
• Mendicino and Mr. Del Duca do not appear to understand these issues.

 

Selection of Feedback

• Thank you for standing up for legal gun owners. Put more pressure on the government for longer jail terms and harsher consequences for gun crimes regardless of how serious or not.
• We need the people in charge of gun “laws” to be actual gun owners. A person who actually understands that a gun is not “more dangerous” because of its look.
• Anytime you can separate the policing mindset from having authority over gun laws you will always get a more common-sense view of how to make society safer.
• Excellent idea. Keep the bureaucrats who know nothing about firearms and all the hoops legal and responsible firearm owners have to jump through out of it.
• A good idea if and only if such civilian CFOs take Alberta’s CFO Bryant’s position of focusing on criminal activity, drugs, gangs and public education. It maybe a correcting recourse to Liberal misdirection of funds and focus, away from law abiding, highly vetted gun owners to where public safety may actually be improved. When guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns. Bottom line, we need responsible federal and provincial government nation wide not focused on irrational re-election rhetoric.
• A civilian CFO would certainly be more objective than a politicly motivated federal politician willing to lie in order to promote their agenda of fear and ignorance just to get votes.
• I support the appointment of CFOs to all provinces. It is past time we had provincial representation in the field of firearms and public safety. It is my hope that provincial CFOs can get out ahead of bad gun legislation from the Feds and get some common sense feed back and pushback into the situations. The vitriol and condemnation of the lawful gun owners has got to stop! Am tired of paying the price for the criminal element. Lock them up until it hurts enough they get the message.
• Common sense decision making in the realm of public safety, firearms regulation and the law in general is long overdue in this country. Grandstanding, virtue signalling and emotional legislation serves no one and wastes countless dollars. At worst, people are hurt by out of focus and misguided attention away from the real problems faced by our society. The tired majority is fed up with being constantly penalized and blamed for nothing.
• Civilian CFOs can help move government decision making away from ideology and toward intelligent legislation.
• Only way to TRULY help public direct attention to the actual criminals. This will (help) control politicians from spreading lies for personal gain, until they figure out some other way to do it. This will work for the good of the public, but probably only temporarily.
• Appointing educated, thoughtful and knowledgeable civilian Chief Firearms Officers makes good sense. It certainly makes sense in Alberta’s case as Teri Bryant has a wealth of firearms knowledge relating to the issues at hand and the concerns of legitimate firearms owners. Teri continues to engage firearms owners in a consultative manner.
• We need to remove the political influence, pressure and virtue signalling from this (the Chief Firearms Officer) position.
• Excellent decision to appoint civilian CFO’s. They are able to make decisions and recommendations, based on factual evidence without bias.