From: "Bruce Mills" <akimoya@cogeco.ca>
Subject: My letter to the CFC
Should be self-explanatory.
- ----- Original Message -----
From: Bruce Mills <akimoya@cogeco.ca>
To: <cfc-cafc@cfc-cafc.gc.ca>
Cc: Breitkreuz, G - Assistant 1 <BreitG0@parl.gc.ca>; Russ Powers
<Powers.R@parl.gc.ca>; <Kathleen.Roussel@CFC-CAFC.GC.CA>
Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2005 5:41 AM
Subject: Error on CFC Website
To whom it may concern:
On your web page regarding the changes to the Firearms Act made by Bill C-10A at:
http://www.cfc.gc.ca/media/news_releases/2005/2005-03-29-bg_e.asp
"Firearms Act Amendments Coming Into Force - Backgrounder"
Under the section "Transporting Firearms (Individuals)" you say: "Prohibited firearms, other than prohibited 12(6) handguns, may no longer be transported to a shooting range. They may only be transported for
specific purposes, such as a change of residence, repair, export, disposal or taken to a gun show."
This is extremely misleading. While non-12(6) prohibited firearms may not be transported under an Authorization To Transport for "shootingpurposes", they never could even under the old version of the Firearms Act.
The Firearms Act did and still allows non-12(6) prohibited firearms to be taken to shooting ranges on an "occasional" basis under the Special Authority to Possess Regulations, Registration: SOR/98-208, P.C.
1998-483, 24 March, 1998:
POSSESSION OF CERTAIN PROHIBITED FIREARMS
13. An individual who holds a licence authorizing the possession of a prohibited firearm, other than a handgun referred to in subsection 12(6) of the Act, may be authorized by a chief firearms officer to possess such a firearm in the circumstances set out in subsection 14(1) or (2).
14. (1) The chief firearms officer of the province in which the following activities are to take place may, if the safety of any person will not be endangered, authorize the possession of a firearm referred to in
section 13 at a shooting range and in the course of transporting the firearm by a route that is, in all the circumstances, reasonably direct between the place authorized under section 17 of the Act with respect to that firearm and the shooting range
(a) in the case of an automatic firearm, if it is being used for test firing or demonstration purposes on an occasional basis, at a shooting range maintained by the Minister of National Defence under the National
Defence Act; and
(b) in the case of any other prohibited firearm, if it is being used for test firing or demonstration purposes or for target shooting or competitive events, on an occasional basis, at a shooting range approved under
section 29 of the Act or maintained by the Minister of National Defence under the National Defence Act.
(2) The chief firearms officer of the province in which the individual referred to in section 13 resides may, if the safety of any person will not be endangered, authorize the possession of a firearm referred to in
that section in the course of transporting the firearm by a route that, in all the circumstances, is reasonably direct between the place authorized under section 17 of the Act with respect to that firearm and a customs office if the firearm is being used on an occasional basis at an event outside of Canada.
As these Regulations did not seem to be repealed by the most recent spate of Amendments to the Regulations made on 29 November, 2004, it must still be possible to take such firearms to shooting ranges under FA s. 17, as amended by Bill C-10A s. 15:
17. Subject to sections 19 and 20, a prohibited firearm or restricted firearm, the holder of the registration certificate for which is an individual, may be possessed only at the dwelling-house of the individual, as recorded in the Canadian Firearms Registry, ***or at a place authorized by a chief firearms officer***.
This is the same as it has always been, even under the former provisions of the Firearms Act: Non-12(6) prohibited firearms were never "transported" under an Authorization to Transport - they were always "possesed" at a place other than the dwelling-house of the registrant under a Special
Authority to Possess permit.
Unless you have repealed the Special Authority to Possess Regulations, or no longer intend to allow non-12(6) prohibited firearms to be "possessed" under its auspices, please change the erroneous information contained on your website.
Bruce N. Mills
Dundas, Ont.