THUNDER BAY - The federal government’s proposed new gun control legislation is drawing criticism from members of the opposition in Northwestern Ontario, while municipal leaders are waiting for more details before making any decisions.
“Time and time again we have seen the Liberals moving forward on measures that are going to make lives more difficult for law-abiding firearms owners in Northwestern Ontario and across the country and not targeting what we know is the real issue, which is illegal gun smuggling in organized crime and our major urban centres,” said Kenora MP, Eric Melillo.
Earlier this week, the federal government introduced sweeping new gun control laws, including banning approximately 1,500 assault-style firearms, offering a buy-back program for owners of banned firearms, and allowing municipalities the ability to implement handgun bans through bylaws restricting possession, storage, or transportation.
Melillo said hunters, collectors, and sports shooters in the north rely on firearms to provide for families or recreation and the new laws will make legally owning and using firearms more difficult for people.
He added that the new legislation leaves a lot of questions that need to be answered, including what constitutes an assault-style firearm.
“There are so many questions that still need to be answered and I think that is something that is still very problematic for a lot of people,” he said.
“They use the term assault-style firearms. That’s an ambiguous term. It’s not legally defined. We would love to know that they are planning on moving forward on. Why are they continuing to target law-abiding firearms owners and criminalize people who are just trying to hunt or go to the range. They are not the issue. We should be focusing our efforts on cracking down on illegal gun smuggling.”
Thunder Bay Mayor Bill Mauro said he would like to see more details on the new legislation and the role municipalities will play when it comes to instituting any bans.
Last year, when these new regulations were first discussed, Mauro requested Thunder Bay Police Service chief Sylvie Hauth present a report to the Thunder Bay Police Services Board on what a handgun ban in the city could look like.
It was decided to hold off on the report until the new regulations were brought forward.
“There’s a lot that we don’t know,” Mauro said. “If it does find its way into the House of Commons in the next little bit of time, we need to be prepared. Certainly what would inform part of my position would b the opinion of the chief of police.”
But Mauro added some municipal leaders are questioning why each municipality would determine handgun bans. He used the example of Toronto instituting a ban but nearby Hamilton not doing the same.
“If the federal government thinks there is benefit to this, why wouldn’t they take a federal approach?” Mauro said. “If the federal government thinks there is benefit to this related to violence, related to handguns, a patchwork approach may not be the way to go.”
