(Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

By David Opinko/LethbridgeNewsNOW

Province wants your say on federal ‘assault-style’ firearms ban

Nov 9, 2020 | 2:55 PM

EDMONTON, AB – The Canadian government banned 1,500 types of “assault-style” firearms earlier this year, but the Alberta Government wants your feedback on firearms legislation.

The Alberta Firearms Advisory Committee (AFAC) will hold two telephone town halls, on Nov. 17 and Nov. 23, and is still accepting online surveys until Dec. 6.

You can register for these events here.

“This engagement will help the committee develop recommendations on how the province of Alberta can better assert itself in areas of provincial jurisdiction. Alberta’s long history of responsible firearms ownership by law-abiding citizens deserves respect; so do Albertans’ property rights. The committee will also make recommendations on how a Chief Provincial Firearms Officer can strengthen the administration of the firearms program to improve services for gun owners,” says AFAC Chair and Brooks-Medicine Hat MLA Michaela Glasgo.

Glasgo has been investigating how provincial firearms policies can best meet the needs of law-abiding gun owners in Alberta.

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Back in May 2020, the federal government prohibited buying, using, and selling 1,500 types of firearms.

Prior to the ban taking effect, a petition was launched in Southern Alberta that was opposed to the ban that garnered over 100,000 signatures, becoming the second most-signed petition in Canadian history.

READ MORE: Firearms petition, introduced in southern Alberta, surpasses 100,000 signatures

Alberta’s UCP government expressed opposition to this measure from Ottawa, as Premier Jason Kenney said it “does little to target criminals.”

READ MORE: Alberta’s UCP expresses opposition to “federal firearms ban”

“The Government of Alberta is committed to protecting public safety and ensuring law-abiding firearms owners are respected. Recent legislation announced by the federal government would punish hard-working farmers, hunters and other lawful gun owners, while failing to address the true problem: the flow of illegal firearms throughout Canada from south of the border. Albertans must be heard, and these consultations will help Alberta’s government develop a responsible firearms-use policy that deters criminals without attacking law-abiding gun owners – and in turn free up the courts for serious matters,” adds Alberta Justice Minister Kaycee Madu.

A report from the AFAC shows:

• 3,427 firearms were seized by public service agencies in Alberta in 2018
  • Nationally, 25,430 were seized
• Across Canada between 2014 and 2018, 84,576 firearms registrations were refused or revoked
• There are 316,791 licensed firearms owners in Alberta
• At the end of December 2018, there were 218,305 firearms registered to businesses or individuals in Alberta