(OTTAWA) The legal sale of handguns has exploded in specialty stores and shooting clubs since the Trudeau government announced a national freeze on this type of weapon on Monday, which leads sports shooters to feel unfairly targeted.
Posted at 8:14 p.m.
Five owners of these types of establishments in Quebec contacted by The Canadian Press say they are struggling to meet the demand of their customers. What they describe sometimes as an “incredible craze”, sometimes as “unheard of”, began with the tabling of Bill C-21 which aims to prohibit the purchase, sale, transfer and import handguns.
“It’s not complicated, I have practically no more weapons in my counter,” says Jean-François Perreault, co-owner of the Club de tir de Lanaudière, on the phone.
Ottawa says it wants to act quickly against gun violence and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino is also proceeding with regulatory changes that are due to come into effect at the end of September.
Photo Justin Tang, The Canadian Press
Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino
However, it is a “cowardly decision” in the eyes of Jacques Tessier, treasurer of the Mauricie Sports Club, who believes that sport shooters will be victimized in the exercise of their practice.
These people want to practice a sport in the same way as someone would play golf or would play tennis. Yes it’s a firearm and it shoots bullets, but it’s always done in a controlled environment.
François Perreault, co-owner of the Lanaudière Shooting Club
The one who was a police officer for 28 years lists in an interview the multiple stages of the process of acquiring a firearm. He mentions that this includes training and a mental health and criminal background investigation. In Quebec, other requirements are added. “Nobody comes here, buys a gun and leaves with it,” he summed up.
At the Club de tir de l’Outaouais, for example, Pierre Pharand observes that “the world is obsessed with the weapons that are left.”
And why do shooters acquire multiple weapons? “Golfing […], how many different sticks are there? I would say it’s the same for the handgun. There are […] calibers that are different”, he illustrates.
At Londero Sports, in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, on the South Shore of Montreal, vice-president Paolo Londero, says he is selling weapons that he has not yet received.
“It’s quite a frenzy right now,” he said. The bill’s filing “rushed the buying,” so he sold his entire inventory in two days.
Mr. Londero also sees an injustice in the announced handgun freeze. “They go after shooters who use guns respectfully, who have gone through all the processes to get the guns. »
kill an industry
If the bill is passed, it will “kill” the industry, take away their “livelihood” from gunsmiths and “kill a Canadian tradition” of sport shooting and legal gun ownership, says Rudy, owner of Dante Sports in Montreal.
An opinion shared by former police officer Perreault who believes that “it will kill the sport in the long run”, and Pierre Pharand of the Outaouais Shooting Club who doubts he can renew his clientele.
Bill C-21 provides exemptions including sports shooters and their coaches, notes the office of the Minister of Public Safety, but only for those of high level.
“In addition, ranges will be permitted to continue to purchase sport shooting handguns from their members, who will be required to remain on the range,” communications director Alex Cohen added in an email.
A minimal effect?
If the increase in legal sales of handguns in shooting clubs and other specialized businesses could continue, the vice-president of the Canadian Police Association, Yves Francœur, does not see it as a public safety issue. .
“People who are criminalized do not apply for permits to obtain a firearm and then commit a crime with it,” says the man who is also president of the Montreal Police Brotherhood.
Legally acquired guns may end up in the hands of people committing gun crimes, but their proportion in seizures is simply “minimal”.
“We, at present, are the illegal weapons, the problem, and not the legal weapons”, he continues.
Still, legal weapons “can become illegal,” says Mr. Francœur, calling Bill C-21 “a step in the right direction.” In his view, an effective fight against gun crime requires a “more comprehensive approach” with strong measures at the border, among others.