National handgun sale freeze 'the final culmination of disappointment' for Alberta retailer

An Alberta firearms retailer says the national "freeze" on the sale of handguns that went into effect Friday is unfair to lawful gun owners and won't make a difference to violent crime rates.

The decision was announced in May, but J.R. Cox, owner of The Shooting Edge in Calgary and Target Sports Canada near Toronto, hoped the federal government would take a pause after meeting with firearms stakeholders.

"It's just the final culmination of disappointment," said Cox. "The facts don't back up this message about legal, lawful firearm owners being the problem."

Under the regulations, people can no longer buy, sell or transfer handguns within Canada, or bring new handguns into the country.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday that the number of handguns in Canada has increased roughly 70 per cent since 2010, while the number of firearms-related homicides has gone up around 40 per cent since 2011, with handguns most commonly used for these crimes.

Alberta Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Tyler Shandro said in a statement that the new regulations scapegoat handgun owners.

"The handguns used to perpetrate criminal acts in our urban centres are typically illegally obtained and are smuggled across the U.S. border by weapons traffickers."

The freeze is part of a broader firearms-control package. Bill C-21, currently before Parliament, would allow for the automatic removal of gun licences from people committing domestic violence or engaged in criminal harassment, such as stalking, and would increase maximum sentences for gun smuggling and trafficking.

'A chill through the entire industry'

Ranges, sport shooting clubs and firearms-related businesses "will slowly be forced to shut down" without new purchases, said Shandro.

At The Shooting Edge, Cox said at least revenue from its indoor shooting range will continue, but other retailers aren't so fortunate and are stuck with thousands of dollars in inventory they can't move.

"Obviously when there's a story like this, it puts a chill through the entire industry," said Cox. "We don't know what's going to happen … but it's devastating."

He believes there are ways to limit access to firearms that don't come at the expense of lawful firearm owners. He would want to see money spent on these regulations instead put toward stopping the smuggling of firearms into Canada at the border.

"If you're not actually going after those routes to begin with for the source of the firearms, then you're not going to make a difference."

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said Friday that Ottawa's policy on firearms includes directing more money to intercept the many guns that pour across the Canada-U.S. boundary each year.

Cox also said there should be resources for upstream approaches to address why these crimes are happening, which is sometimes linked to gang-related violence.

From 2009-2020, gang activity was confirmed or suspected in 39 per cent of firearm-related homicides across Canada, according to Statistics Canada.

"We have to have better policing, we have to have better mental health [services], we have to have better smuggling prevention," said Cox. "These things will actually prevent more violence."

Guy Joly, a gun safety instructor, agrees that the freeze won't help public safety. He said that gun-licensing regulations are stringent enough, but that responsible ownership, including proper handling and locked storage, can play a role as well.

"If you get guns in the house, don't mention it. Don't brag about it. Don't put it on Facebook," he said. "You can create your own safety."