Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc on Wednesday postponed the implementation of additional gun regulations until after the next election.According to Blacklock’s Reporter, LeBlanc previously delayed Trudeau’s gun grab of prohibited firearms, as he stated it could potentially lead to criminalizing his rural New Brunswick constituents.In a legal notice, LeBlanc's department postponed the implementation of the Firearms Marking Regulations until December 1, 2025. First drafted in 2004, these regulations were initially scheduled to come into effect this month.“The proposed deferral of two years is based in part on industry recommendation and the department’s assessment regarding time required to engage on the requirements and for industry to prepare,” the department wrote in a Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement.“A deferral of the coming-into-force date by two years benefits industry by providing additional time to engage on the requirements as well as to prepare business processes, manage existing supply and ensure regulatory compliance.”The regulations would make it mandatory for all firearms produced and sold in Canada to have standard serial numbers.Factories have typically marked their firearms with distinct identification marks incompatible with those from other factories.“Currently, there is no legislative or regulatory requirement to mark firearms in Canada, although most manufacturers imprint a serial number and other information identifying the make, model, manufacturer and country of manufacture as a common business practice,” said Analysis. “The marking of firearms is a critical element in the process of tracing crime guns and combating illicit activity including the trafficking of firearms.”LeBlanc previously postponed Trudeau’s gun grab of "assault-style" firearms, which were placed on a cabinet blacklist, and the cost of this gun grab is estimated to be $756 million.An amnesty for owners was originally to end on October 30. LeBlanc extended the amnesty period until October 30, 2025, following the next general election.“We specifically extended the gun amnesty so as not to criminalize people,” LeBlanc told the Senate National Security committee on October 23.“We have been explicit and careful to ensure that these measures do not target those people and, in fact, allow them to practice their sport and other recreational activities that hunters in my community of rural New Brunswick participate in,” said LeBlanc.“Every time governments or Parliament legislate in this area, there is a very quick reaction from hunting groups and sports shooters, many of whom are in my constituency in rural New Brunswick. People I know go hunting.”The Minister stated the cabinet would not give up on Trudeau’s gun grab program, which has already spent $8.9 million on consultant contracts.“It’s a commitment we made during the last election and we fully intend to set up such a program,” said LeBlanc. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself.”
