e-1605 (Firearms)

Petition to the House of Commons in Parliament assembled

• More than two million licenced gun owners in Canada, individuals who have never done anything wrong but are tracked daily on CPIC (Canadian Police Information Centre) are required to report any change of address to the government within 30 days or face criminal charges with a maximum penalty of two years in jail;
• In his 2016 report to Parliament the RCMP Firearms Commissioner noted that between 2012 and 2016 there were 422,887 convicted criminals prohibited from owning firearms by the courts (Chart #4);
• These 422,887 convicted criminals, prohibited from owning firearms are not required to report their change of address to the government or police unless such an order was specifically stated as a part of their sentence by the courts;
• On November 24, 2004, Firearms Commissioner Bill Baker testified before the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights: “On the change of address, if someone is prohibited from having a firearm in the country they are no longer effectively covered by the Firearms Act”; and
• Those 422,887 persons prohibited from owning firearms are the biggest threat to police and public safety; and are the ones most likely to acquire firearms illegally and reoffend.