Team CSSA Special Report – October 5, 2015: Liberal Party Releases Its Policy Platform  

LIBERAL PARTY RELEASES ITS POLICY PLATFORM  

If you think the federal Liberals have changed their spots, you might want to read this. This is what the Liberal Party’s newly released 2015 election policy document says about gun control and its intention to attack the two million (plus) lawful Canadians who own firearms.

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LIBERAL FIREARMS POLICY

We will take action to get handguns and assault weapons off our streets. Over the last decade, Stephen Harper has steadily weakened our gun laws in ways that make Canadians more vulnerable and communities more dangerous.

We will take pragmatic action to make it harder for criminals to get, and use, handguns and assault weapons. We will:

• repeal changes made by Bill C-42 that allow restricted and prohibited weapons to be freely transported without a permit, and we will put decision-making about weapons restrictions back in the hands of police, not politicians;

• provide $100 million each year to the provinces and territories to support guns and gangs police task forces to take illegal guns off our streets and reduce gang violence;

• modify the membership of the Canadian Firearms Advisory Committee to include knowledgeable law enforcement officers, public health advocates, representatives from women’s groups, and members of the legal community;

• require enhanced background checks for anyone seeking to purchase a handgun or other restricted firearm;

• require purchasers of firearms to show a license when they buy a gun, and require all sellers of firearms to confirm that the license is valid before completing the sale;

• require firearms vendors to keep records of all firearms inventory and sales to assist police in investigating firearms trafficking and other gun crimes;

• immediately implement the imported gun marking regulations that have been repeatedly delayed by Stephen Harper; and

• as part of our investment in border infrastructure, invest in technologies to enhance our border guards’ ability to detect and halt illegal guns from the United States entering into Canada.

We will not create a new national long-gun registry to replace the one that has been dismantled.

We will ensure that Canada becomes a party to the international Arms Trade Treaty.