{"id":267158,"date":"2019-04-19T10:30:25","date_gmt":"2019-04-19T14:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/issues\/arent-tougher-assault-style-firearms-canada\/"},"modified":"2025-10-07T22:30:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T02:30:13","slug":"arent-tougher-assault-style-firearms-canada","status":"publish","type":"issues","link":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2019\/04\/arent-tougher-assault-style-firearms-canada\/","title":{"rendered":"Why aren\u2019t we tougher on \u201cassault-style\u201d firearms?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) appointed a task force<\/a> in 2018, led by Regina Police Chief Evan Bray, to consider Canada\u2019s gun laws. The task force has not issued a public report, although CACP president Adam Palmer recently told the Senate<\/a> that the association has discussed \u201cmore restrictions on certain specialized military-style weapons.\u201d Bill Blair, Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction and former chief of the Toronto Police Service, says he will decide whether to recommend that Canada introduce stricter regulations on handguns and \u201cassault-style\u201d<\/a> rifles.<\/p>\n

These officials are acutely aware that in recent decades mass murderers have used semi-automatic rifles in shootings in Canada and around the world, such as in the 1989 massacre at the \u00c9cole Polytechnique in Montreal, and in the murder of 50 people in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March this year.<\/p>\n

Concern in Canada about the availability of semi-automatic firearms predates these infamous events, however. The CACP has been raising the alarm about the sale of semi-automatic \u201cassault-style\u201d weapons for more than 40 years. Yet, despite decades of appeals, the weapons are now more widely available than ever. It\u2019s time that we look seriously at gun regulations in Canada.<\/p>\n

In 1977, the CACP passed a resolution saying that \u201csemi-automatic firearms are basically designed as an instrument of war\u201d and have \u201cno sporting use either in the cultural or recreational sense.\u201d The association urged that all such guns be classified as restricted weapons.<\/p>\n

In 1986, the organization passed another resolution, noting that there was a \u201cworldwide surplus of automatic and semi-automatic weapons primarily designed for purposes of warfare.\u201d The proliferation of such guns (and handguns) led the association to urge the federal government to \u201ctake the steps necessary to end this increase in available weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 1988, just before the Montreal massacre, the CACP expressed concern over the \u201calarming rate with which military weapons are being imported into Canada,\u201d especially automatic guns converted to semi-automatics. The police chiefs asked the federal minister of justice to ban the importation and possession of these weapons.<\/p>\n

In response, the Progressive Conservatives contemplated legislation to address the proliferation of semi-automatic firearms that had been converted from automatic firearms. Then, the Montreal massacre occurred, and Brian Mulroney\u2019s government responded by passing important gun-control legislation. This legislation, among other things, limited the size of magazines for rifles, created a mandatory waiting period for a firearm acquisition certificate, and required more detailed screening of applicants for these certificates. It also restricted or prohibited some military-style rifles.<\/p>\n

The policies adopted by the Progressive Conservatives did not resolve the issue. In 1994, the CACP declared that \u201cmilitary assault rifles\u201d were produced for the \u201csole purpose of killing people in large numbers,\u201d and said the minister of justice should ban all military assault rifles except those used for law-enforcement and military purposes.<\/p>\n

But the classification system for firearms has became irrational<\/a>. Semi-automatic rifles, often based on military designs, can be classified<\/a> as unrestricted, restricted or prohibited, even though many of them have very similar characteristics.<\/p>\n

Concern over public safety has driven police interest in gun control, though the use of firearms in police murders also likely motivates police views. Between 1961 and 2009, 133 police officers were murdered<\/a> in the line of duty. Of those murders, 92 percent were committed with a firearm.<\/p>\n

Several recent episodes highlight the dangers semi-automatic rifles pose for the police. In 2005, in Mayerthorpe, Alberta, a shooter murdered four RCMP officers using a Heckler & Koch .308 semi-automatic rifle<\/a>. In 2014, another shooter with a semi-automatic rifle<\/a> killed three RCMP officers in Moncton. These and similar incidents highlight the fact that such semi-automatic firearms have far more firepower than the weapons carried by police officers on ordinary duty.<\/p>\n

Many organizations representing gun owners have fiercely opposed efforts to limit access to these firearms. They reject the term \u201cassault rifle\u201d as vague, and complain that Ottawa has classified semi-automatic firearms on the basis of their appearance rather than their capability. They also note that semi-automatics based on military rifle designs, often marketed as \u201cmodern sporting rifles,\u201d have become popular as hunting and target-shooting weapons. Any new regulations would thus interfere with the ownership or use of many people\u2019s property. And, of course, they argue that governments should target criminals who illegally possess firearms, especially gang members, rather than licenced gun owners. This and other opposition was reflected in the federal government gun policy public consultation process<\/a>, which found that participants were \u201cstrongly polarized on the issue of banning handguns and assault-style firearms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Similar arguments against regulation are made in other countries. Still, after the Christchurch massacre, Jacinda Ardern\u2019s government passed legislation that prohibits many semi-automatic weapons<\/a>. This has brought New Zealand\u2019s law more in line with the gun control policies of Australia and the United Kingdom, both of which instituted strong restrictions on semiautomatic firearms after massacres.<\/p>\n

In Canada, the federal government has been urged to limit access to many semi-automatic weapons. The Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime<\/a>, a Globe and Mail <\/em>editorial<\/a>, and gun control organizations such as the Coalition for Gun Control<\/a>, PolySeSouvient<\/a>, and Doctors for Protection from Guns<\/a> have made similar calls.<\/p>\n

If federal politicians prove unwilling to legislate this ambitiously, another option is for Canada to move most unrestricted semi-automatic rifles to the list of restricted firearms. This would improve recordkeeping and police safety by requiring the registration of these guns. It would also discourage the purchase of such weapons, as there are limits on the use restricted firearms for hunting. And the tougher rules governing transportation and storage of restricted firearms might lessen the likelihood of these guns being stolen and used for criminal activity.<\/p>\n

No single gun law can stop all mass shootings. For more than 40 years, the CACP has worried about the proliferation of powerful semi-automatic rifles. It is time we had a serious debate about regulating these guns, before there is another mass shooting.<\/p>\n

Photo:\u00a0Shutterstock: by\u00a0Ambrosia Studios.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) appointed a task force in 2018, led by Regina Police Chief Evan Bray, to consider Canada\u2019s gun laws. The task force has not issued a public report, although CACP president Adam Palmer recently told the Senate that the association has discussed \u201cmore restrictions on certain specialized military-style […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":275618,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-10-08T02:30:15Z","apple_news_api_id":"7f2baa8f-32fe-4ba1-959d-4b97a25d883c","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-10-08T02:30:15Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AfyuqjzL-S6GVnUuXol2IPA","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[9387,9359,9372],"tags":[8611],"article-status":[],"irpp-category":[4339],"section":[],"irpp-tag":[7124],"class_list":["post-267158","issues","type-issues","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-elaboration-de-politiques","category-loi-droits","category-recent-stories-fr","tag-gun-control-fr","irpp-category-loi-et-justice","irpp-tag-armes-a-feu"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy aren\u2019t we tougher on \u201cassault-style\u201d firearms?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2019\/04\/arent-tougher-assault-style-firearms-canada\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why aren\u2019t we tougher on \u201cassault-style\u201d firearms?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) appointed a task force in 2018, led by Regina Police Chief Evan Bray, to consider Canada\u2019s gun laws. 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