To see what a ban on “assault weapons” could look like, American gun owners need only to look north to Canada. Canada’s ruling Liberals introduced Bill C-21 on February 16 of this year. The bill brings new firearms restrictions that include a buyback for certain banned semi-auto rifles, allows municipalities to ban handguns, includes a ban on replica airsoft and pellet guns, and the introduction of a new system to report firearms owners of concern. To fully understand where this bill will take Canada, it’s necessary to understand existing gun legislation.
Handgun registration has been in place since 1934. Hunting with handguns has been illegal since 1969, and to move a handgun from their home, an owner must have an Authorization To Transport (ATT permit). Under this system, gun owners must take a reasonably direct route from their home to the gun range and can’t go a few blocks out of their way to stop at the grocery store, for example, on the way back.
Concealed carry of handguns? Forget it. While concealed carry was allowed at one time for self-defense, there are only a handful of permits issued in the entire country. Self-defense isn’t a legitimate reason to own any gun in Canada.
Today, all new gun owners in Canada must take and pass the Canadian Firearms Safety Course. Then, they must apply for a Possession and Acquisition License (PAL), which includes having two character references. This can take several months by the time the license is received. A separate course is required for hunter safety, although some provinces allow the two to be combined. An additional course is needed for restricted guns, such as handguns.
Many gun control measures came in the wake of a shooting at Montreal’s L’Ecole Polytechnique on December 6, 1989, when Marc Lepine used a Ruger Mini-14 to kill 14 women. These included passing the course or
