General

Harper rejects firearms advice, won’t relax prohibited weapons

OTTAWA – Prime Minister Stephen Harper says his government is unhappy with recommendations from its firearms advisory committee that would further relax the gun laws.

Documents obtained by the Coalition for Gun Control reveal the committee advising Public Safety Minister Vic Toews wants some prohibited weapons, including hand guns and assault rifles, reclassified to make them more easily available.

It is also pushing to make firearm licences good for at least 10 years, rather than the current five — a measure opposed by police groups who say the five-year renewals are a chance to weed out unstable gun owners.

Harper is telling the House of Commons the Conservatives have no intention of weakening the categories for prohibited weapons.

And he said he’s very concerned by some of the committee’s recommendations.

His comments followed those of Conservative MP Eve Adams, who said on the anniversary of the Ecole Polytechnique massacre that there’s no connection between violence against women and changes to the gun-control laws.

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.
  • By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
FILED UNDER: