The Liberal government hopes to tighten Canada's firearms law with changes to the background check system and new mandatory record-keeping practices for vendors.
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale tabled Bill C-71 on Tuesday, which includes new provisions to "enhance" existing background checks for those seeking a firearms license.
Those checks will now demand the RCMP examine a person's entire life history for potential red flags, as opposed to the current standard which assesses the previous five years only.
Moreover, Goodale is proposing changes to how vendors document the sale of firearms. If the bill passes, retailers would be required to maintain adequate records of all inventories and sales.
The records will be maintained by each retailer, and will only be accessible to police if they obtain a warrant. Many retailers, including the country's major sporting retailers, already track sales of firearms.
Mandatory record-keeping was done away with after the former Harper government made sweeping changes to the country's firearms regulations in 2012.
As promised during the last election campaign, the Liberals will not revive the long-gun registry.
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The Liberals are also proposing a return to a system where the RCMP is trusted with classifying firearms into three categories: non-restricted, restricted and prohibited— a departure from the Harper-era practice where cabinet had the power to override such a decision.
To that end, two groups of firearms — the Ceska Zbrojovka CZ-858 rifle and certain Swiss Arms firearms — will be classified as "prohibited." There is a yet unspecified amnesty period for owners to comply with grandfathering requirements.
The government is also proposing amendments to regulations around the transportation of restricted and prohibited firearms — such as handguns.
Owners would need to obtain a separate authorization to transport (ATT) if they wish to take their firearm anywhere other than a shooting club or a range. For example, an ATT will now be required to take a restricted or prohibited firearm to a gunsmith or a gun show.
Presently, ATTs are not required for non-restricted firearms such as rifles or shotguns.
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