To stem domestic violence, federal government urged to move quickly on gun regulations

Several civil society organizations, including women's advocacy groups, are urging the Liberal government to quickly implement regulations and directives for firearm legislation passed last year.

In December, Parliament approved a bill aimed at preventing domestic abusers from accessing firearms. The legislation also imposes stricter controls on handguns, increases penalties for firearm trafficking, and seeks to address the issue of homemade ghost guns.

A detailed brief supported by various organizations calls for the government to take the necessary regulatory actions to activate measures designed to combat intimate partner violence.

Suzanne Zaccour, director of legal affairs for the National Association of Women and the Law, one of the groups behind the brief, stated, "We truly believe that some of these measures are going to make a difference in keeping women safe. So that's why we're advocating for these important sections to come into force as soon as possible."

The brief specifically requests that the government issue an order-in-council to enforce amendments to the Firearms Act related to domestic violence. These include:

— Subsection 6.1, which disqualifies individuals from holding a firearms license if they are subject to a protection order or have been convicted of a violent offense.

— Subsection 70.1, which requires a chief firearms officer to revoke a license within 24 hours if there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the licensee has engaged in domestic violence or stalking.

— Subsection 70.2, which automatically revokes the license of anyone subject to a protection order and mandates that they surrender their firearms to a peace officer within 24 hours.

The brief also calls for new regulatory measures to ensure compliance with the existing requirement for firearm sellers to verify the validity of a buyer's license.

"There have been many instances where an individual with a revoked or expired license managed to purchase a firearm which they then used against an intimate partner or ex-partner," the brief notes.

The brief further recommends that the federal government update its education campaign for police, the courts, the public, and women's shelters to include information on new standards for removing access to firearms and the expanded definition of domestic violence in the Firearms Act.

Endorsing the recommendations are groups such as PolySeSouvient, Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns, the Canadian Federation of University Women, Ending Violence Association of Canada, Women's Shelters Canada, YWCA Canada, Danforth Families for Safe Communities, Fédération des Femmes du Québec, and Fédération des Maisons d'Hébergement pour Femmes au Québec.

The Public Safety Department has not yet responded to inquiries about the brief.

The bill passed by Parliament also includes a ban on assault-style firearms based on a new technical definition. However, this definition does not apply to models that were already on the market when the bill was enacted.

Earlier this summer, PolySeSouvient spokeswoman Nathalie Provost wrote to Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, requesting action on plans for a buyback of firearms banned in 2020 (including the AR-15), addressing prohibited models that were overlooked, and implementing stricter regulations on large-capacity magazines.

LeBlanc's office responded at the time by stating that it was "continuing to put strong measures in place to tackle gun violence."