Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government has quietly reinstated Canada's long gun registry..The renewed registry comes alongside further gun restrictions that will come into effect May 18..The amendments to the Firearms Act were introduced outside Parliament through two separate orders-in-council (OIC)..OICs are drafted by Cabinet or a Cabinet minister to be formally approved by the governor general. OICs are not discussed in Parliament, and do not require legislation or debate by Parliament before being implemented..Liberals' Bill C-71, within which the amendments are buried, will require law-abiding Canadian licensed, non-registered firearms-owners to request permission from the RCMP's chief registrar of firearms when transferring ownership of firearms. It will also require them to to obtain a transfer authorization number from the RCMP..The two OICs put a formal enactment date on certain sections of Bill C-71, specifically that businesses be forced to supply information on the buyer and details of the firearm — model and serial number — while private sellers will be asked for the purchaser's licence details..The amendments mean a return to the regulation of non-restricted firearms that were in place during the days of the long gun registry. Former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper scrapped the long gun registry in 2012, leaving Canadian gun owners to buy and sell non-restricted firearms in relative privacy..In order to own a gun in Canada, every gun owner must have a Possession and Acquisition License (PAL) to legally buy and own a firearm..There are two sections of the PAL. Presently, only hand guns — which are restricted firearms — need to be registered with the federal government.."It will be a crime for any licensed gun owner to buy, sell or give away any non-restricted rifle or shotgun without explicit permission for the transfer from the registrar of firearms in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Canadian Firearms Program, said Nicholas Johnson on TheGunBlog.ca.."It will require contacting the RCMP to request a reference number for the transaction. And the new requirement applies to all licence holders, including a spouse who wants to give a rifle or shotgun to their spouse, or a parent who wants to give a rifle or shotgun to their child. Gun stores will be required to store the personal details of licensed buyers of non-restricted rifles and shotguns for 20 years in violation of personal privacy," Johnson said..The following points are from a March 20 Government of Canada Ministry of Public Safety press release and explains its premise of the sections in the C-71 bill amending the Firearms Act:.Enhance background checks on those seeking to acquire firearms by eliminating the existing provision that focuses those checks primarily on just the five years immediately preceding a licence application.Enhance the utility of those background checks and the effectiveness of the existing licensing system by requiring that whenever a non-restricted firearm is transferred, the buyer must produce his/her firearms licence, and the vendor must verify that it is valid.Standardize existing best practices among commercial retailers to maintain adequate records of their inventories and sales. These records would be accessible to police officers on reasonable grounds and with judicial authorization, as appropriate.Ensure the impartial, professional, accurate and consistent classification of firearms as either "non-restricted," "restricted," or "prohibited" by restoring a system in which Parliament defines the classes but entrusts experts in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to classify firearms, without political influence.Bolster community safety in relation to restricted and prohibited firearms (mostly handguns and assault weapons) by requiring specific transportation authorizations to be obtained whenever restricted or prohibited guns are moved through the community, except between a residence and an approved shooting range. The rules for transporting unrestricted weapons (such as legally owned rifles and shotguns) will not change.There are two sections of the PAL. Right now, only hand guns, which are restricted firearms, need to be registered with the federal government..Canadians who already have gun licenses can expect ongoing background checks throughout the licence period, and new applicants will likely see greater scrutiny and longer application turnaround times before the granting of licenses..Tony Bernardo is the executive director of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association, and said Canadians should be angry with the changes.."Well, I think that they're going to be furious because, once again, the Liberals lied to Canadians on this issue. They said they would not bring it back. They brought it back. They're now saying that this isn't really a registry. In most certainly is," he said.."The worst part of it is now they're requiring the firearms industry to pay for it. All the administration ... costs money. And now it looks like the onus is on the businesses to pay [and will] be liable for the sanctity of the records, and ensuring that records don't fall into criminal hands.".Bernardo said the renewed registry has nothing to do with gun crime in Canada, despite the Liberal government's stated rationale, since it will have no effect on the issue.."It's crass politics and has nothing to do with with gun crime in Canada. The amount of gun crime committed with long guns in Canada wouldn't make your eyes water. The real problem is gang violence totally outside of the sphere of regulation. This regulation only applies to law-abiding gun owners. It does nothing [to stop] criminals."."Throughout the course of history, the only reason any government has registered anything is to tax it or to take it," he said.
