PETERBOROUGH, ON, May 19, 2017 / CSAAA/ – The Canadian Sporting Arms and Ammunition Association (CSAAA) applauds the Government’s decision to defer the implementation of the Canadian Firearms Marking Regulation until more work is done on its content.
The CSAAA represents Canadian small business owners in the firearms sector including importers, distributors, wholesalers and outdoor retailers from across the country. While CSAAA members strongly support any initiative that targets illegal firearms sales and trade, the association had concerns about the now 13-year-old wording in the Canadian Firearms Regulation. The dated version does not take into account current industry practices and technologies that allow businesses to provide instant and accurate tracking of imported and exported firearms using information already marked on the firearm, specifically the make and serial number.
The association urged the Minister of Public Safety to consider re-drafting Canada’s marking regulation to reflect these more modern practices, requiring all firearms imported into or exported from Canada to have the make and a unique serial number marked on them. The current version of the outdated regulation requires a new non-unique marking that would dramatically increase the cost of imported firearms, cause safety concerns and possibly increase demand for black market firearms in Canada without adding anything to the traceability of the firearm.
“As business owners, we have a vested interest in working with the government and global community to stop the illegal sale of firearms,” said Wes Winkel, President of the Board of Directors of the CSAAA and owner of a firearms retail business. “We want all firearms sales to be conducted through a legitimate Canadian retailer operating within the regulatory environment. It’s safer for the Canadian public, and better for business.”
Winkel said the CSAAA supports the government’s decision to defer the marking regulation and has committed to working with the government toward a re-drafted version that achieves the goals outlined in the UN Firearms Protocol, the impetus for the Canadian regulation, but does not punish legitimate Canadian firearms business owners.
“The vast majority of business owners in the firearms sector are small businesses,” Winkel added. “Many of them are located in smaller, rural or northern communities where they are key employers and key contributors to their local economies. We don’t want an outdated regulation to result in unnecessary cost burdens that cause the loss of these businesses and jobs in their communities.”
For more information, contact:
Alison de Groot, Managing Director
705-875-2302
