OFAH calls for clarification on federal gun control legislation

Trudeau says right to hunt is not being targeted.Ottawa-The federal government needs to clarify which rifles will be added to its list of prohibited weapons and clear up confusion created by a last-minute significant amendment it has proposed to gun control legislation, says the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH).The amendment came at the committee study stage after Bill C-21 had received approval in principle in the Commons. Committee study of the bill will not resume until after Parliament returns from its Christmas recess on Jan. 30.OFAH said the amendment “would expand the definition of a prohibited firearm to included semi-automatic rifles and shotguns designed to accept a detachable cartridge magazine with a capacity greater than five cartridges of the type for which the firearm was originally designed.”The bill was originally aimed at assault style pistols and rifles, and then the government introduced the amendment to expand the list of banned weapons to cover some rifles used by hunters.OFAH said there was even obvious confusion among government officials about what would and would not be included in the ban when the committee last met on Nov. 22. OFAH has asked the Public Safety Department for more information on which weapons would be affected and has encouraged gun owners to contact their member of Parliament about the ban.“As of right now there is no formal list of firearms captured in the amendment. However the definition as proposed is extremely broad and will almost surely include many traditional hunting firearms.”In an interview with CTV News, Trudeau has said that while some hunting rifles will be banned, “we're going to also make sure that you're able to buy other guns from a long list of guns that are accepted and are fine for hunting, whether it's rifles or shotguns.“There are some weapons that are used for hunting that unfortunately fall on the wrong side of the line. Not many, but there are some that are slightly overpowered or have too large a magazine capacity or technical reasons like that. Nobody wants assault-style weapons anywhere in this country. You don't use them for hunting, and you shouldn't have them for any other reason.”He said there will be more consultations with hunting groups. “Obviously hunting is a huge part of life for many, many Canadians and we fully respect that and we're going to protect that.“We're not going at the right to hunt in this country. We are going at some of the guns used to do it that are too dangerous in other contexts.”Trudeau said the government wants to ensure gun manufacturers cannot try to get around the ban with new models of weapons.