Mixed reactions to impending firearm regulations

Greg Illerbrun, the provincial firearms chairman for the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation said sporting firearms are not weapons hauled into war zones, and already have easily traceable serial numbers to fulfil what the UN is trying to do.

“We have offered some viable options, we believe, to the Canadian government on how we can make it a win-win situation for everybody,” Illerbrun said. “It is going to be interesting to see what direction they actually go with, and we are still waiting for that.”

Illerbrun’s concern is about the cost of labour to add the markings.

“It could drive up the cost of guns, especially here in Canada, as many guns are imported,” he said.

Illerbrun said he heard estimates the new regulations could add upwards of $200 to the cost of firearms sold in Canada, as the regulation stipulates the guns are marked prior to entering the country.

Local retailers say the cost already adds to the increasing price for guns which rose between 20 and 40 per cent in the past five years alone.

“This is kind of a punch to a belly to somebody who is already down,” Phil Cobb, owner of Prince Albert’s Arnie’s Guns & Archery said.

Brian Archer, the vice-president of the Saskatchewan Provincial Rifle Association echoed the cost concerns.

“It is going to be very expensive to break them down, clean them, sketch them, and put them back together,” he said. “For some of the cheaper rifles and firearms, that could double the price.”

In Archer’s opinion, the move was the “Liberal government just trying to impose more red tape and stipulation and trying to discourage people from owning firearms.”

Marlin Birkland, owner of Prince Albert’s Frontier Firearms added it is “very much a wait and see thing.”

“[It could be] either $20 or $100 we are not sure,” he said, making note any additional costs would ultimately be passed down to consumers.

Birkland also could not put his finger on why the government decided to move forward with the regulation after it had been deferred six times before. He called it a “sabotage effort” on the backs of gun owners.

Operations manager James Brake at Arnie’s Guns & Archery argued the markings will “not do anything to protect society.”

“Show us how it tangibly will protect the public at large and you will have our ears. Nobody has got an explanation for that,” Brake said.

“If there was a tangible benefit, [let us know] we are reasonable people. We want people to have guns who are allowed to. We also don’t want to damage society.”

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr

by paNOW

Mixed reactions to impending firearm regulations

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