Wednesday, December 27, 2000
Gov't gives gunowners a reprieve
Anyone with a gun who has not registered their firearm yet can breathe a sigh of relief since the federal government has extended the year-end Dec. 31 deadline for mandatory licensing to June 30, 2001, for $25 waiver fee registration, the amnesty for prohibited handguns and unregistered restricted firearms. The Firearms Act requires every firearm owner in Canada to have a licence by June, 30, 2001, or a valid Firearms Acquisitions Certificate. So far 1.8 million applications had been received. Officials are struggling with a backlog of 300,000. If any of the 2.2 million gun owners haven't sent in their ownership application forms by the new deadline, they could face five years in jail. "These extensions are in response to the concerns of firearm owners who have told us that an extension will give those in possession of prohibited firearms or unregistered restricted firearms more time to take appropriate action," said federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Anne McLellan. "Our goal is to work with firearm users while ensuring public safety," McLellan said. The $25 transfer fee waiver began in June as a result of consultations with the firearms community. This waiver does not apply to transfers that took place before June 10, 2000. In Feb. 1995, the government announced its intention to ban certain handguns, often called "Saturday-night specials." This includes handguns with a barrel length of 105 mm or less and those that discharge .25- or .32- calibre ammunition, except for a few specific ones used in the International Shooting Union competitions. Previous story: Bureaucratic gutting feared Next story: Davis Inlet still cut off for holiday
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