Alberta's provincial government isn't too pleased about new federal firearms regulations.

New rules introduced yesterday (May 11) will require people and businesses selling non-restricted firearms to confirm the identity and firearms license of buyers, and to keep inventory and sales records.

The new regulations will go into effect on May 18.

The UCP government was quick to voice their opposition to the changes, equating it to the rebuilding of the national long-gun registry that was abolished in 2012.

They've called the new rules a "needless intrusion in the lives of law-abiding citizens" that will do little to nothing to combat gun crime.

Alberta's chief firearms officer Teri Bryant was quoted in a release:

"These new requirements have been introduced without consulting the firearms community or our office. Many law-abiding firearms users, particularly hunters, farmers, and ranchers in rural areas, will find it difficult to comply with this red tape. These law-abiding Albertans are not the problem: gun smugglers, straw purchasers, and traffickers are. Putting obstacles in the way of the transfer of firearms between law-abiding users is not the way to target crime. We may be witnessing the first steps in the rebuilding of a national long-gun registry. It is no wonder that Albertans’ trust in our firearms regulatory systems is so low."

The provincial government pointed to redundancies in these regulations, with sellers already being required to verify buyers' Possession and Acquisition licenses.

Instead, the UCP says Ottawa should focus on harsher penalties for weapon trafficking and other gun-related crime.