EDMONTON — Alberta Chief Firearms Officer Teri Bryant says she is waiting for legislative details before outlining how she intends to prevent provincial and municipal police from enforcing elements of the federal firearms prohibition. Bryant spoke to the Western Standard following Premier Danielle Smith’s keynote address to the 2025 UCP AGM, where the premier said the province plans to introduce legislation directing police not to participate in the federal gun grab.Bryant said the practical framework of the proposed approach will depend on how the legislation is drafted..“There’s a delicate balance,” she said. “As I understand it — and I’m not a lawyer — provincial authorities can establish priorities for law enforcement, but they cannot give direction on individual cases.”Bryant added that legal experts would be responsible for ensuring the province’s direction complies with constitutional and policing boundaries.When asked whether any firearms on the federal prohibition list would still be subject to confiscation under the coming Alberta framework, Bryant said she and her office do not support any of the classifications outlined under Ottawa’s measures..“We don’t believe there’s anything on that list that is a firearm that should be prohibited,” Bryant said, claiming some listed items are not firearms and arguing that many included models are used for sport shooting, predator control or hunting. She also characterized some as historic firearms.“There’s certainly nothing that could be classified as ‘assault-style,’ whatever that term is supposed to mean,” she said.Bryant emphasized that, in her view, confiscation should apply only to firearms held by criminals..“The purpose of the law should be to leave law-abiding people alone and focus on punishing and removing from society those who are not law-abiding,” she said.Smith also said the province intends to advise police not to arrest individuals who use firearms in self-defense under certain circumstances. Bryant noted that self-defense policy falls outside her direct responsibilities but said clarity for both enforcement and citizens would be important..“Any situation where somebody has to use a firearm or any other weapon to defend themselves is highly stressful,” she said. “It will be important to make sure people aren’t held to an unrealistic expectation of the deliberations they should undertake when split-second decisions are required to preserve life.”The provincial government has not yet released a timeline for the legislation or further details regarding how it intends to implement or enforce the policy.
